He kept his hair long and tied back in a queue, or ponytail. Although he didn't wear a wig, George Washington did powder his hair, giving it the iconic white color seen in famous portraits. Powdering one's hair was another custom of the time. As a young man, George Washington was actually a redhead!
What's fascinating about George Washington's hair is its natural color (reddish-brown), the fact that he wore wigs, the myths surrounding it, and the preservation of some locks as historical artifacts.
Seven US Presidents were redheads during or before they were in the White House, including Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Rutherford B. Hayes, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy.
Both Hamilton and Washington are so often portrayed in portraits with white hair - the result of fashionable powdering (see my earlier post on Hamilton's hair) - that it was something of a shock to see that they both did indeed have the reddish-brown hair that contemporaries described.
Did you know that George Washington was a redhead? This is a lock of his hair from 1797. The iconic white hair color we see in his portraits is a product of powdering his hair. Washington preferred powdering to wigs and kept his hair long and tied back in a queue or ponytail.
And contrary to popular lore, Washington did not wear a wig. His hair was originally reddish-brown and he powdered it regularly to achieve the fashionable white color. By the time of his presidency, however, the reddish-brown had faded to the gray-white color seen in Union's strands.
Red hair is one potential manifestation of a gene mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R). While red hair most frequently occurs among European peoples, it is also present among persons of Asian descent or Africans with European admixture (though extremely rare).
Nature's Rarest Palette: Red Hair Standing at the apex of rarity, natural red hair occurs in just 1-2% of the global population. This striking shade results from a specific genetic variant of the MC1R gene, requiring both parents to pass on the recessive trait.
An examination of the 1821 Thomas Sully portrait (above) of Jefferson may indicate that he had given up the habit of hair powder in his advanced years, as Sully captures streaks of his natural red hair mixed with gray.
A strong Federalist and a central figure in the Constitutional Convention, President Adams tried to protect the young nation from the war raging between France and Britain. Adams' powdered and curled hair was stylish at the time. His big, blue eyes are the focal point of the painting.
Answer and Explanation: Abraham Lincoln had gray eyes. Abraham Lincoln was tall, but strong due to his background in manual labor and in military service. Lincoln had a towering stature but a disarmingly calm demeanor that prevented Democrats from painting him as a radical in the 1860 election.
President Barack Obama, who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017, had an African father and an American mother of mostly European ancestry. His father, Barack Obama Sr. (1936–1982), was a Luo Kenyan from Nyang'oma Kogelo, Kenya.
Here is a very short, selective list of more than a dozen known or most probable famous “gingers” in history: Alexander the Great, Emperor Nero, Erik the Red, Frederick Barbarossa, Federico II of Sicily, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Antonio Vivaldi, Vincent Van Gogh, and Winston Churchill.
His real complexion was described by his contemporaries as sallow, a color that was even visible through the tan which the sun and wind had burned on his lace. The painter also carefully retouched the pockmarks that deeply pitted Washington's features.
It's not your fault that you don't think of Thomas Jefferson as a redhead. He and his revolutionary compatriots will always be known as the guys in the dusty gray wigs. But this particular founding father did have natural red hair, according to records and a few portraits.
George Washington is the only US president to have never occupied the White House. In New York and then later in Philadelphia, the Washingtons occupied a series of grand houses, where they received members of Congress, officials, foreign dignitaries, and other prominent people according to a standing weekly schedule.
Author and humorist Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, made his red hair the subject of his jokes.
He was one of five Presidents who was a red-head, and he powdered his hair white, as white hair was still considered extremely fashionable, and a sign of wealth and knowledge. However, the next four Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe did indeed wear wigs.
And it just so happens that Churchill was a redhead to boot. Churchill's shadow as Prime Minister looms large over the course of modern history, but it shouldn't be forgotten that before he took office in Parliament, he was already an immensely successful man, and quite a well-known British figure.
The rarest eye colors are red and violet, which are primarily found in individuals with albinism. Excluding those affected by albinism, green and gray eyes are considered the most uncommon.
Black hair is the most common in Asia and Africa. Though this characteristic can also be seen throughout Europe as well, it is considerably less common. It can be found in Celtic populations such as in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Black hair can come in a variety of textures, just as any hair color.
Genesis 25:25 tells us that Esau had red hair. Thus with red hair running in the family genes, it is very probable that King David had red hair or at least a reddish hue to his hair.
But did you know that some Black people have naturally blonde hair? It's a testament to just how diverse the African diaspora is. From blue eyes, to freckles, to Irish origins, it's impossible to confine Black people into a singular expression.
Red- or blonde-haired Vikings? Genetic research has shown that the Vikings in West Scandinavia, and therefore in Denmark, were mostly red-haired. However, in North Scandinavia, in the area around Stockholm, blonde hair was dominant.