Woman sitting under a hairdryer

A photograph of a woman sitting under a hairdryer at a Hairdressing Exhibition at Olympia, London, taken by Tomlin for the Daily Herald newspaper on 20 September, 1932.

A photograph of a woman sitting under a hairdryer, taken in September 1932 by Harold Tomlin for the Daily Herald.

After the First World War, short hair for women was in fashion. Many hairstyles, such as the permanent wave, required heating, setting or curling, and the technology to achieve the desired results. The photograph was taken at the Hairdressing Exhibition at Olympia in London.