Ginger hair portraits show unexpected 'golden thread' connecting Americans

Kieran Dodds, a 45-year-old photographer from Edinburgh, has been fascinated with red-haired individuals for nearly a decade. After completing a series on Scottish identity, he noticed a lack of ginger portraits featuring American citizens. This led him to create a book titled "Gingers of America," which showcases red-haired individuals from various backgrounds across the United States.

The book features a Native American man named Joshua Elliot, who traces his red hair to both German and English ancestry. Many Native Americans Kieran met mentioned European ancestry as a possible explanation for their red hair, with some tracing it back to Scottish or Irish roots.

In Alabama, Kieran encountered a more diverse range of red-haired individuals, including those with African-American, Hispanic, and indigenous heritage. He spoke with Rachel Releford, a black American woman whose daughter was mistaken for a nanny, and Henry Davis, whose son appeared to have inherited his red hair from his father.

Kieran emphasizes that the book aims to demonstrate the interconnectedness of America's diverse history through the common thread of ginger hair. He believes that red hair represents a golden thread weaving together the nation's complex and varied past. One such example is Cali, a young man from Alabama with European, African-American, Hispanic, and indigenous ancestry.

Scotland is home to approximately 13% of the world's red-haired population, with about 700,000 natural redheads. While less than 2% of the global population has red hair, Kieran's research suggests that the prevalence may be higher in the United States, estimating around 4% genetic prevalence. He estimates that if all redheads in America were gathered together, they would form a city of approximately 14 million people, a "Gingertown" visible from space.