Mary, the youngest sister, had a mental illness so the doctors would often blame her six feet of hair on her mental illness. Naomi generally wore her hair up in a four-foot-thick braid. However, when she took her hair out of the twist, her locks would fall to five and a half feet in length. By the mid-1880s, the family could not believe the amount of money and fame they received from the public. The sisters could not go anywhere without being noticed by fans.
A New Life For The Sisters
The sisters traveled throughout the 1880s and into the early 1890s. Due to all their wealth, they started to live a life of luxury, one in which they had never imagined before. If the sisters wanted something, they went out and bought it. This included building a huge Colombian mansion in New York. The home had 14 rooms, and many people felt that the house looked more like a castle than a home from the outside. They filled the bathrooms of the home with marble and chandeliers hung from the tall ceilings.
Along with the new home, the sisters bought a custom carriage, created from gold. Along with this, each sister had her furry companion, who would receive their custom-made clothing. Of course, once their home was complete, the sisters wanted to show it off. Therefore, they started to invite everyone they could think of and held grand parties and gala events. A personal hair maid became a part of the lives of the Sutherland sisters. Every night, the maid was paid to comb, untangle, and manage their hair of their charge.
The First Sutherland Sister Dies
However, tragedy would strike the family when the sister with the thickest hair, Naomi, died in 1893. Naomi died shortly after the sisters moved into their completed mansion. So, while she was able to see the complete work and live within its walls for a short time, she was never able to enjoy the life her sisters did. At the time of her death, Naomi was 40 years old. While the family was devastated, they did not wait long to start looking for a replacement for Naomi. The family held auditions and found a young girl named Anna Louise Roberts.
With their new addition, Anna, the girls continued to tour and sell their hair products. As the money kept rolling in, so did their luxurious lifestyle. Of course, like with many rags to riches Hollywood story, not everything was as well-rounded and fun as it seems. With their new home and parties came the trouble with drugs and alcohol. Throughout their lives, only one of the sisters, Victoria, married. She married around 1899, at the age of 50, to a 19-year-old. Unfortunately, in 1902, she would pass away.