The Seven Sutherland Sisters was a singing group which included the seven daughters of Fletcher and Mary Sutherland of

Lockport, New York Lockport is both a city and the Lockport (town), New York, town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York, Niagara County, New York (state), New York. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census ...

. They appeared with

Barnum and Bailey The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...

's from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. Their distinguishing feature was their long hair; publicity about the length and texture of their hair enabled the Sutherlands to create a successful line of

patent medicine A patent medicine, sometimes called a proprietary medicine, is an over-the-counter (nonprescription) medicine or medicinal preparation that is typically protected and advertised by a trademark and trade name (and sometimes a patent) and claimed ...

hair and scalp care products.

Family

The Seven Sutherland Sisters was a family act from

Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niag ...

that performed worldwide to great acclaim.The Sutherland Sisters
/ref> Daughters of Fletcher (1816–1888) and Mary (Brink) Sutherland (1824–1867), they started doing concerts with a brother in the early 1880s, and three years later the sisters were traveling with

's "Greatest Show on Earth." The children of Fletcher and Mary Sutherland included: * Sarah (1845–1919) * Victoria (1849–1902) * Isabella (1852–1914) * Grace (1854–1946) * Naomi (1858–1893) * Dora (1860–1926) * Mary (1862–1939) Fletcher and Mary Sutherland were buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Lockport, as were most of the sisters. Seven Sutherland sisters bottle

Career

With fans fascinated by their hair, which reached a collective length of over , Fletcher Sutherland went on to create a

, "The Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower", which was mostly

witch hazel Witch-hazels or witch hazels (''Hamamelis'') are a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America ('' H. ovalis'', '' H. virginiana'', and '' H. vernalis''), and one each in Japan ('' H.&nb ...

and

bay rum Bay rum is a type of cologne and aftershave lotion. Other uses include as under-arm deodorant and as a fragrance for shaving soap, as well as a general astringent. Origins It is a distillate that was originally made in Saint Thomas "and probably ...

, along with traces of

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid Acid strength is the tendency of an acid, symbol ...

, salt, and magnesium. The tonic quickly became a best seller, and the line of Sutherland Sisters hair products expanded to include a scalp cleanser, brushes and combs, and "Hair Colorators." In addition to wholesaling their products to retail stores, they also made public appearances at retail outlets, and maintained several outlets of their own – "parlors" where customers could consult with a salesperson and make purchases—including one in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. When Naomi died in 1893, the Sutherlands auditioned for a replacement, and hired Anna Louise Roberts to join their act. Roberts made headlines in 1927 when she was over 60 and her husband and she became destitute as the result of a house fire. The Sutherlands resided in a mansion they built in Warrens Corners, New York, which burned down in 1938. Even though hairstyles changed over time, and the short hair of the

flapper Flappers were a subculture of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptab ...

s became fashionable in the 1920s, the Seven Sutherland Sisters hair care products were successful for years after their singing act ended in the mid-1910s; print ads for them appeared in newspapers until the mid-1920s. Published accounts indicate that the sisters did not save or invest wisely, and some of them later became destitute. When the last living sister, Grace, died in 1946 at age 92, she was buried in an unmarked grave.

References

External links

"Seven Sutherland Sisters, Barnum & Bailey Hair Show"
''New England Today, Living'' (January 1, 2017)]
History Daily: See many photos of the sisters

Peachridge Glass: The Amazing 7 Sutherland Sisters
includes photos of glass bottle and packaging for hair products
Hair Quackery: Seven Sutherland sisters' hair grower
focuses on the business of hair products * * {{Find a Grave, 29258920, Mary ''Brink'' Sutherland (mother) Musical groups established in the 1880s Musical groups disestablished in the 1900s People from Niagara County, New York 19th-century American singers 19th-century American women singers Patent medicine businesspeople Septets All-female bands Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus people

Family

Career

References

Further reading

External links