A Hairdresser's Experience in High Life in Bloomington, MN

Eliza Potter's 1859 autobiography expresses her indignation, abolitionist sentiments, fiery temper, and sheer joy of life as she reveals the private selves of the white women whose heads she "combed." As an insider on the margins, her identity provides a unique vantage point for her story and that of the elites of nineteenth-century Cincinnati society.