7 'Cures' For Baldness You Won't Believe

2. Seven Sutherland Sisters' Tonic

French Fries Balding
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The late 1800s were a wonderful time to be alive for so-called 'freaks'. PT Barnum had an attuned eye for otherness as he trawled America of novelty acts for his show, basically a possibly-but-possibly-not less tasteful version of the first round of Britain's Got Talent.

Joining his coterie were a set of seven siblings with spectacularly long hair, one of whom really hit the mother lode when she married Barnum's partner, Henry Bailey. The union allowed her to ascend within the circus from being a sideshow attraction to something approximating a real person - with the new-found parity greatly enriching her father.

You see, though the sisters spun gold from their incredible Rapunzel-like manes, it was their father's 'restorative' tincture which really filled the coffers. Now firmly ingratiated with Barnum & Bailey, Sutherland patriarch Fletcher could travel the country as part of their tour, hawking his nostrum.

The Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower was a big success, and the line expanded to include a comb and an octet of dyes. The brand may have grew, but its consumers' hair didn't. Nevertheless, it made the girls an absolute fortune.

In this post: 
Balding
 
Posted On: 
Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.