Pursuits

Grumpy Wife Louisa Did John Quincy Adams No Favors: Hoelterhoff

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Wig? Furry hat? What about flannel underwear?

On daily constitutionals through freezing St. Petersburg, John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) often encountered Alexander I, similarly engaged. The emperor (pro-wig, anti-flannel) liked chatting with the American diplomat, who spoke fluent French, the language of the court. Adams’s bald pate concerned him.