The Dorset Ooser from Melbury Osmond, Dorset, UK. Photographed in Yeovil, Somerset, c. 1883-1891.
A bit of odd photographic history from the town where I was born. Although the scale is difficult to discern from the photo, the Ooser was a largish headress that sat on the wearer's shoulders. The eyes were completely opaque and it's possible that the wearer could see through the 'mouth', which was hinged so that it could open and close. It's actual purpose is unknown, and thus lots of quite silly/colourful (take your pick) ideas have been dreamt up to explain it. The owners tried to sell it, hence the photo, but it seems to have been lost - to decay or being sold by a third party - sometime in the early 1900s. It was made from wood, wool/hair and horn.
