Madame Martin (fl. 1671) was the hairdresser at the court of Louis XIV who popularised a style of elaborate tall hair.
Madame Martin was married to a whig maker[1] and her profession was not as unusual in her position; however, she demonstrated true creative talent and became unusual in her success as an independent professional artist in a period when the profession of hair dressing was only just starting to emerge in France.[2]
In 1671, she became a leading artist of her time by creating hair style known as the "harum scarum", which became very popular and Marquise de Sevigne recommended to her daughter. [3] Her style was a new initiative, as she broke with the previous fashion and arranged women's hair upward instead of on the sides, signifying a new style of fashion. [4]
She invented the hair style a' la Maintenon, which was famously adopted by Madame de Maintenon.[5] She remained the leading hair dresser of the French court for several years during the late half of the 17th-century.[6]