Wig

A wig was a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which was worn on the head for fashion, for representing strength, power, and status or for men to cover their baldness. The word wig is short for "periwig" and first appeared in the English language around 1675.

History

During the 18th century, a powdered wig was a sign of high social standing^[1], and was worn by many a loyal servant to the King of England, most notably George Augustus. Loyal servants include the Harbormaster and Governor Weatherby Swann.^[2][3] Though his wig made his head hot and itchy, Governor Swann felt undressed without it.^[4][5] The French Pirate Lord Chevalle owned a blonde wig, which was once set on fire by the young Jack Sparrow.^[6] While serving as a privateer, the former pirate Hector Barbossa wore a powdered wig, which Jack Sparrow would made fun of throughout the quest for the Fountain of Youth.^[7] Following his return to piracy Barbossa wore a very old-fashioned wig, clinging to the baroque style, believing that it gave him importance.^[8] Even officers of the British Royal Navy and East India Trading Company wore wigs, like James Norrington, Theodore Groves, Gillette, and Cutler Beckett.

Behind the scenes

• Wigs first appear in the 2003 junior novelization for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.^[2][3] Wigs were first identified in the 2006 reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide,^[4] later republished in the 2007 reprint The Complete Visual Guide.^[5]
• Jack Davenport (James Norrington) once said, most notably in an interview for The Curse of the Black Pearl, that he looked like an "ice cream" with the wig on while the pirates "looked so cool."^[9]
• In the At World's End video game, players can find and collect seven wigs in different chests around the level Port Royal which will give a bonus.^[10][11]
• During their first scene together in On Stranger Tides, Jack Sparrow tells privateer Hector Barbossa, "I understand everything... Except that wig."^[7] In the 2011 junior novelization for the film, Jack instead said, "But, Hector, the hat."^[12]
• According to the makeup and hair designer Peter King, his department created more than 1,000 wigs for Dead Men Tell No Tales.^[13][8] On the biggest days make up seven hundred extras and thirty principals, with a main team of twenty-two people and another seventy in a vast tent for background, stunt players and wranglers humorously referred to as "the sausage factory."^[14]

Appearances

• Jack Sparrow: The Siren Song (Mentioned only)
• Jack Sparrow: The Tale of Billy Turner and Other Stories
• The Price of Freedom
• Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Missing Pirate
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization) (First appearance)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2006 junior novelization)
  • Fluch der Karibik
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (comic)
• The Accidental Pirate!
• The Guardians of Windward Cove (Mentioned only)
• Smoke on the Water
• Banshee's Boon
• The Lost Sea
• In Jack We Trust!
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Six Sea Shanties
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (comic)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)
• The Brightest Star in the North: The Adventures of Carina Smyth
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Movie Graphic Novel
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
• Kingdom Hearts III (Non-canonical appearance)

Sources

• An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide (First identified as wig)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide

Notes and references

1. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003 junior novelization)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide
6. ↑ Legends of the Brethren Court: Day of the Shadow, Chapter Eight
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales: Behind the Scenes, p. 36
9. ↑ An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates
10. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)
11. ↑ Seven Periwigs achievement in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - TrueAchievements
12. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization), p. 23
13. ↑ Disney Pirates: The Definitive Collector's Anthology, p. 126
14. ↑ POTC5 Presskit