Reading for Sept 24

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.