Cool Places: Leila's Hair Museum

Leila's Hair Museum in Independence Missouri was founded in 1989 by avid hair collector/cosmetologist Leila Cohoon. "I've always been fascinated by hair," she says. "It's my profession. I started in 1949 and I've loved every minute of it." Leila claims to have strands of hair from Marilyn Monroe, Abe Lincoln, and the Virgin Mary.

Leila is mostly interested in hair as an art, especially hair wreaths which was a popular craft during the Victorian Period. Women in this period believed that the home was a showcase for their fine handwork. The term "fancy work" was a term used for functional and purely aesthetic objects a high class Victorian woman created in her free time. One of the most popular fancy work objects was a hair wreath. It was important for Victorian women to incorporate their family in their work so they would exchange locks of hair as a way to remember friends and family. The hair would then be manipulated to resemble flowers arranged in a u shape, which was a common Victorian symbol for good luck.

Leila has other pieces in the museum such as jewelry made out of hair, postcards, and hair that has been added to portraits. Leila states that "When I look at hair, I see more than hair. My museum is filled with other people's families. It tells a story, but there's a lot more story that I won't be able to know 'till I get to the other side and meet them,". Gee, so romantic.

I demonstrated my knowledge of hair wreaths to a historical interpreter at the Genesee Country Museum today, along with my knowledge of type and printing presses. Which properly established myself as a complete tool.