Victorian hairwork collection finds New home in Brooklyn
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Leila Cohoon collected around 3,000 examples of Victorian hairwork, art made from human hair, over decades, establishing Leila’s Hair Museum in Missouri. After Cohoon died in 2024, her granddaughter Lindsay Evans began distributing the collection to museums across the United States.
Many Victorians crafted keepsakes from the hair of family and friends, both living and deceased, creating objects like necklaces and framed wreaths. Historian Karen Bachmann called Cohoon’s museum “the Louvre of hairwork” because of its extensive holdings.
The Morbid Anatomy Library in Brooklyn, New York, will display approximately 50 pieces from the collection starting on September 27. The library’s founder, Joanna Ebenstein, and hairwork historian Karen Bachmann worked with Evans to select items that represent the range of hairwork, from simple jewelry to elaborate sculptures. These pieces often include photographs and notes identifying the people who contributed their hair and commemorating loved ones.
Dave Herman and his wife, Shannon Herman, transported the selected items from Missouri to New York, carefully packaging each piece for the journey. Evans believes her grandmother would be pleased to see the collection widely displayed, fulfilling Cohoon’s wish for the art to be appreciated by many. The Morbid Anatomy Library intends the installation to show how common hairwork was in everyday Victorian life.
