It is likely that many people searching for information on hairwork and hair art will quickly locate hairwork.com. This site has maintained an online presence since the 1990s. Their primary focus are users who want to create their own hairwork.
A portion of the homepage of hairwork.com.
To this end, the front page advertizes human hair for sale, horse hair in both natural and colored forms, kits to make hair flowers, and accoutrements needed to create hair jewelry, and even the traditional tables used to create the common Victorian forms of tube-like hairwork.
Here’s some colored mohair for sale at hairwork.com. Can you just imagine a bracelet made in the Victorian table-worked style, but in one of these vibrant colors?! #shutupandtakemymoney
There are many books listed on the site, as well. There are some that pertain directly to Victorian hairwork, while others talk about more general braiding and embroidery techniques. There are also some on related historical topics. When you click on one of the books they have featured on their page, you’ll see a description of the book and its contents, usually with some images from the book as well.
Another great section of the site features the stories of hair collectors.
The “Collector’s Stories” section of the site features several different stories. Among those featured are these three women, Leila Cohoon (l), Marlys Fladeland (r), Ruth Gordon (t). (http://hairwork.com/collecto.htm)
I especially enjoyed reading about Marlys Fladeland’s introduction to hairwork that eventually led her to form the Victorian Hairwork Society.
The only drawback to the site is the current layout and organization. There are many different sections and hyperlinks scattered across the homepage. This can make it a bit difficult to easily see what the site has to offer. The site is 17 years old though, so likely some of the disorganization just comes from the organic growth of the site over the years and the limitations of form during the years the site was created.
Overall, hairwork.com is a classic that offers something to see, whatever your particular interest in hairwork is. There’s much more to explore than I have touched on, so be sure to check it out yourself!