Gendered encounters in mobile trade: human hair as a commodity in the Nordics, 1870–1914

From 1870, Nordic newspapers observed an increasing trade in human hair across the region. This article examines the reasons behind the sudden boom, the mobile groups engaged in the trade, the gendered encounters involved in it and the destinations of the procured hair. We contribute new knowledge on a mobile livelihood about which little is known and exemplify how digitalised and searchable newspaper databases enable researchers to illuminate forms of livelihoods, trade and consumption that have left few traces in historical sources.