I first came across Miss May Donnan and her beautiful hair in the April 13, 1914 issue of The Ballarat Courier while I was searching for pioneer obituaries. The copy wasn’t good, so I searched Trove for her. I found a clearer photo in The Mail of Adelaide from 1913.
May had apparently sent away for a free sample of John Craven-Burleigh’s True Hair Grower. What a product. Her hair grew to a length of four feet six inches. Although described as a prominent pianist, after some Troving it seems May’s only claim to fame was her beautiful hair.
Advertising. (1913, September 13). The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 – 1954), p. 3 Section: FIFTH SECTION.. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63805694
May was not the only girl to send in a testimonial about her beautiful hair. There were several that did the rounds of the newspapers through the 1910s but beware some of the pictures are scary…
Advertising. (1914, July 5). Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 – 1954), p. 29. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57781617
Advertising. (1915, March 21). Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 – 1954), p. 25. Retrieved April 16, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58586851
Advertising. (1915, August 9). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 12. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15605877
Advertising. (1917, March 5). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 9. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5567352
John Craven-Burleigh Ltd. was an international company with bases in London, Paris, New York and Sydney. The November 24, 1930 issue of The Argus reported that the Australian branch had gone into liquidation. I assume the whole company went under.
Western District Families 
Photoshopped!
hardly any different from the TV ads of today where those unreal women with long glossy hair sway it from side to side so we can see there is nary a split-end. If there was ever a woman like them on the street, a crowd would gather.
These old ads might have had a titillation value since women then kept their hair tied up, and only husbands saw the full Lysol scented curtain of horror. I’m thinking ‘Krusty The Clown’.
You’ve done it again MR. What a post.
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I love this! It proves you really can find anything in Trove.
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Sure does!
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amazing! Today I actually saw a woman (from a distance) who had her back to me and her hair was tied up in a pony tail that hung down nearly to her knees!
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Wow. You don’t see many women with that really long hair much anymore. Who could be bothered.
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