In this episode, we are taking a close look at an artifact known as the casket of hair. Join us as we speak with MHS president Catherine Allgor about this little wooden box displaying the hair of First Lady Dolley Madison and Presidents George Washington, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams. We'll also learn about the larger collection of hair held at the MHS and explore what is like to encounter hair in the archive.

Learn more about episode objects here: https://www.masshist.org/podcast/episode-7

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Episode Special Guest: Catherine Allgor is the president of the Massachusetts Historical Society and is the author of Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government (University Press of Virginia, 2000) and A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation (Henry Holt, 2006).

This episode uses materials from: Psychic by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Curious Nature by Ketsa (Commercial non-exclusive license through Ketsa) Exlibris by Kosta T (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike)