Helen Sheumaker’s Love
Entwinded describes relationships between sentimentality and consumerism of
hairwork in America. Specifically she focuses on white middle-class women and
explores how hairwork connected women’s domestic and public life. Hairwork became
popular from 1850s to 1880s, but it ended in early twentieth century because of
the idea of cleanliness. In the eighteenth century, hairwork indicated class
status and an individual’s sincerity. However, in the nineteenth century,
sentimentality was displayed in public. This public display of emotions created
mass productions of hairwork in the nineteenth century. Chapter three and five
strongly argues about women’s sphere through the fancywork. Although professionals
produced most of hairwork as products, armature women created hairwork as
fancywork at home. Emotional integrity of armature women’s handworks evaluated
in markets, because people considered hairwork as sentimental objects. One of
the virtues of women at that time was stay at home and do not work in outside. Therefore
many women expressed themselves through fancywork. Fancyworks helped women to
connect to public and markets.
She
also discuss about ethnic and racial perspectives of hairwork. Racial hierarchy
of hair trades are interesting points. Because of expansions of hairwork, hair
trades markets became bigger. Caucasian hairs were in great deal compare with
undeveloped countries’ hair. It is interesting to consider not only hairwork
was a culture of white middle-class society, but also Caucasian hairs were preferred
as materials for their culture. In 1860s, hairwork was open job opportunities
for African Americans, because it did not require initial investments. However those
expansions of markets threated hairwork’s sincerity and authenticity. When she
points out three elements of hairwork as human hair, handmade, and true
sentimentality, it implied white women’s human hair, handmade by white women,
and true sentimentality within white society.
When Karin Dannehl argues in Object biographies, objects change their meanings and contexts in
different stages. Sheumaker exactly describes changing meanings of hairwork in
different contexts. Her historical and material cultural approaches show new
perspectives of race and gender relationships through hairwork. Kenneth L. Ames’
Meaning in Artifacts also follows material
culture methodology as Sheumaker did. She analyzes Victorian America’s hall
furnishings with a horizontal constellation approach. She focuses on the
nineteenth century, north, urban area, upper middle class society and explores physical
environment and mentality through furnishings. Her pictorial analysis of
hallstand reveals upper middle class culture in Victorian America. She also established
different meanings of furnishings in different time periods, classes, and areas.
