In the Western I'm currently working on, one of my characters has a unique habit: he's a dandy, and so fastidious, he even gets regular manicures. It's a true story, and the character's manicured nails are straight out of the history books, but the idea of that level of personal grooming in that place and time seems almost unbelievable.
Where, exactly, would a man go to get a manicure in a remote, 1870s mining town in Nevada? I assume it probably was a DIY project, but I don't want to assume wrong. If it was a DIY, would the tools and process be relatively the same as it is today(barring modern chemicals and practices)? If not, where does the process differ?
Any experts in 19th century hygiene out there? Guns and blood and guts and horses and cards I can do. Hair and nails? Not so much.
Where, exactly, would a man go to get a manicure in a remote, 1870s mining town in Nevada? I assume it probably was a DIY project, but I don't want to assume wrong. If it was a DIY, would the tools and process be relatively the same as it is today(barring modern chemicals and practices)? If not, where does the process differ?
Any experts in 19th century hygiene out there? Guns and blood and guts and horses and cards I can do. Hair and nails? Not so much.
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