This Was a Bizarre Museum
Hair art used to be a big deal in the 1800s
It was a museum. Yes, it’s a bit odd. It was the only museum of its kind in the world. There were exhibits of items made of human hair. Whose hair? Some included the hair of Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria, and Michael Jackson.
The person behind all this work was Leila Cohoon. Being amazed at human hair all her life, she finally opened a museum called Leila’s Hair Museum.
Leila’s Hair Museum was located in Independence, Missouri. Leila decided in 1956 she was going to start collecting hair art and interestingly enough, her museum had pieces dating back to the 17th century. According to Atlas Obscura, the museum is permanently closed.
Hair, hair, and more hair!
Hair art was very popular in the Victorian era. People wanted to keep something from the person they lost and they wanted to memorialize them. This was also before photography was invented.
Popular in the U.S. between 1770 and 1900, Sheumaker said the white middle class used the hair of a loved one, dead or alive, to create jewelry, wall decorations and keepsakes. (Source.)
Supposedly, hair art started in England and France and made its way to the United States. This type of art could be found in necklaces, bracelets, rings…
