Leila Cohoon Hair Art Collection
An Homage to Leila Cohoon
Morbid Anatomy has been gifted a collection of almost 50 pieces from the iconic Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence, MO. A hairdresser by trade, Leila Cohoon, was a self-taught historian, educator, and tireless advocate for the nearly forgotten practice of Victorian hair art. She preserved techniques, trained new makers, and wrote passionately about the emotional and cultural worlds embedded in these artifacts. Without Leila’s curiosity and appreciation for the medium, we might have lost much of the knowledge and tradition surrounding this craft.
Leila first opened her museum in 1986 —the first and only museum in the world dedicated entirely to art with human hair—which grew to over 3,000 pieces. What began as a roadside curiosity became a pilgrimage site for artists, historians, and curious seekers. After operating for more than thirty years, the museum closed when Leila passed away in 2024. Her family chose Morbid Anatomy as one of the spiritual homes for these gorgeous and eloquent pieces, and—with the generous help of contributions from our community—we were able to bring part of this incredible collection to our home in Brooklyn.
This remarkable collection of family tree wreaths, memorial artworks, and jewelry—each meticulously crafted from human hair—will be installed at the Morbid Anatomy Library in summer 2026, where it will serve as a centerpiece of our educational programming. Reflecting intertwined traditions of memento mori and women’s craft, Leila’s legacy and collection make a perfect addition to Morbid Anatomy, whose mission honors the use of creativity and the arts to explore—and grapple with—loss, mortality, and the human condition. We are eternally grateful to Lindsay Evans, Leila’s granddaughter, for this a gift.
Our deepest thanks go to all those who donated to the Kickstarter fundraiser:
Grand Patron ($1,000)
John Whitenight
Collector’s Salon ($500)
Amtursi
Vikki Basilico-Covarrubias
Elizabeth Broman
Deborah Dwyer
Jill Goldman
Mary Hutter
Cima Katz
Natalie Lynch
Renee Soto
Geva Patz
Divya’s Gift of Taxidermy ($350)
Rachel Liquindoli
Scholar's Tour ($300)
Alice
Kate Casalino
Rob C.
Shane
Tiffany
Special Thanks ($200)
George Loudon
Patron of Preservation ($150)
Jennifer Berman
Chelsea Elliott
Madison Humphreys
Madeline Levy
Ella LT
Jennifer Lynch
Robyn Mewshaw
Evan Michelson
M. Elizabeth Mooney
Katie O'Sullivan
Kristen Jezewski Stafford
Special Thanks ($100)
Brant MacDuff
Marcel
Gayle Monkkonen
Naomi
Elizabeth New
Patron of Curious Objects ($50)
Candice Abinanti
Amanda Andrews
Charlotte Bartle
Steven Bean
Brandon Beeman
Gabriela Benedit
Sherwin Borsuk
Sandy Bounds
Nancy Bowen
Elizabeth Bradley
Lauren Kimball Brown
Corey
Scott David
Susan Doran
Melissa Dowell
James DuBose
Cate Englehart
Melissa Farran
Lisa Feldman
Melissa Ferrari
Cassandra Frank
Robert Freeborn
Frida
Emily Glover
Anna Goss
Abigail Greydanus
Digital Saint ($25)
Chris Bettis
Branson
Katy Branson
Savannah Chavez
Judy Conner
CT_Dave
Lorenzo De Los Angeles
Eden
Danielle Gordon
Linnea H.
EG Haggerty
Katie Haus
Paige Hemke
Laura Hendrickson
Marcelle Hanselaar
Madeline Happold
Carol Holzner
Anna Hostler
Jane Howarth
Patricia Jenatsch
Laura John
Carrie Jordan
Katharina & Parm
Liza Katz
Kristine Kearney
Lisa Kereszi
Alisa Sickora Kleckner
Amy Putney Koenig
Laughing Academy
Lauren
Robert Levin
Becca Levy
Edward Lukasek
Rachel Luna
Brian Madden
Stephanie McClure
Shayna McConville
Alessandra McMillan
Connie Mendez
Jennifer Menken
David Herman
Eliza Hess
Lise Hull
Victoria Irwin
Kari
Riley Kellogg
Carolyne Ali Khan
Peggy Kimbell
Stephanie Klose
Sue L.
Emily A. Long
Sabrina Mandell
Sarah Mark
Bryan Melillo
Under $25
Alexandra Aleck
Jennie D.
amber eagle
Emily Groll
huahua
Brooks Moses
Marie Murray
Elizabeth Nielsen
Jessica Pippin
Alison Faith Young
Merry
Chris Muller
Arielle Nathanson
Jo Panke
Laura Jane Parker
Gwen Pennington
Sarah Pickman
Paloma Pierce
Regina
Ariel Rogers
Erica Sales
Ira Salom
Tracy Sanford
Stina Schwebke
Martha Shane
Anna Shields
Steven
Leila Taylor
Natalie Taylor
Ann Wagner
Kristin Watkins
Abby Wilson
Chris Woodyard
Tamsen Young
Vivien K. Zak
Raul Prisacariu
Chris Reynolds
Sophia Rose
Jessica Rosenkranz
Lorelei Russ
Kelly Rynda
Tammy Schane
Emily Shelley
Jill Spinello
Catherine Stevens
Dara Teste
Sarah Tisdale
Amy Young
Viktor Wynd