PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Donald Trump’s gravity-defying hair has generated plenty of attention, but have you seen George Washington’s?
You can check it out this month in Philadelphia, where a museum has put the hair of some early presidents on display.
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. The exhibit, called “Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils,” runs through July 29, coinciding with the Democratic National Convention.
A Philadelphia attorney collected the specimens, which were given to the museum after his 1860 death.
Academy historian Robert Peck says it may seem like an odd hobby today. But he says it was once common for people to keep hair clippings from loved ones in “lockets, brooches, rings and pins.”
In this Jan. 17, 2008, photo provided by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, senior fellow Robert Peck displays a lock of George Washington’s hair in an album from the collections of the academy in Philadelphia. The academy’s museum is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in an exhibit titled "Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils," continuing through July 29, 2016, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University via AP)
http://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2016/07/web1_111448953-6f433c7e32054a8fb98fa6bd77966754.jpgIn this Jan. 17, 2008, photo provided by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, senior fellow Robert Peck displays a lock of George Washington’s hair in an album from the collections of the academy in Philadelphia. The academy’s museum is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in an exhibit titled "Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils," continuing through July 29, 2016, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University via AP)
This undated photo provided by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shows a sample of George Washington’s hair collected by Philadelphia naturalist Peter A. Browne, from the collections of the academy in Philadelphia. The academy’s museum is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in an exhibit titled "Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils," continuing through July 29, 2016, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s ANS Archives via AP)
http://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2016/07/web1_111448953-da9f047cb98f4d76a9347125874e9105.jpgThis undated photo provided by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shows a sample of George Washington’s hair collected by Philadelphia naturalist Peter A. Browne, from the collections of the academy in Philadelphia. The academy’s museum is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in an exhibit titled "Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils," continuing through July 29, 2016, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s ANS Archives via AP)
This April 24, 2014, photo provided by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shows a lock of hair from John Adams from the collections of the academy in Philadelphia. The academy’s museum is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in an exhibit titled "Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils," continuing through July 29, 2016, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s ANS Archives via AP)
http://www.limaohio.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2016/07/web1_111448953-5e8aaa11768a45959f948eaf72611c89.jpgThis April 24, 2014, photo provided by The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University shows a lock of hair from John Adams from the collections of the academy in Philadelphia. The academy’s museum is showcasing locks of hair once belonging to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson in an exhibit titled "Presidential Archives: Letters, Hair and Fossils," continuing through July 29, 2016, to coincide with the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s ANS Archives via AP)
