"A different way to look at troops" Topic

I've read somewhere (so it has to be true!) that British regiments each had their own style, and regimental wig maker.
Were powdered wigs even worn in the field? Or were they just worn on parade?
Would they be the first thing abandoned when "roughing it" in the field? Like Burgoyne altering uniforms for the wilderness.

If worn, would they be confined to officers?
I have a bunch of SYW Hungarians in the queue, so…
What about cavalry?

When did powdered wigs stop being worn?

I don't trust any paintings of George Washington with one, unless it's contemporary.

My impressions, without benefit of real research, is that they came in after the War of the Spanish Succession and went out during the French Rev/Napoleonic era. A lot of those wigs went into the "head" basket at the base of the guillotine.

Officers wore the wigs, John, while the OR's powdered and dressed their hair for parades. Whether they wore the wigs, or powdered their hair, when on campaign is another one of those questions where there's no definite answers. The few contemporary sketches I've seen don't answer the question, either.

I think wigs and powder were barracks dress, probably only parade dress, except for young officer "toffs" and senior officers. On campaign they'd be put away by the OR's and sensible officers.

Blame the French. They popularised them, then killed the fashion dead.

Powdered wigs (perukes) came into fashion in Europe in the late 17th century, during the reign of Louis XIV. His court popularised elaborate wigs and aristocratic officers across Europe copied the style.

The French Revolution later rejected aristocratic fashion like wigs and powder and the fashion died.

I have a memory of an English officer in the Peninsular wearing a queue & powder as he was old fashioned. This may be historical or a forgotten memory of a Sharpe book!

With the possible exception of some household types, I don't believe any rank and file ever wore powdered wigs. Their hair was usually styled with animal fat and flour, which was not particularly pleasant and hence limited to specific occasions.

Wigs were expensive, and wigmakers were specialized artisans. The low end of their clientele were the "professions", e.g., barristers, physicians, middling merchants, etc.. and part of their trade was restyling wigs to reflect changes in fashion.