The Art and Memory of Hair
The art of fashioning human hair into jewelry and floral wreaths was widely practiced in the mid-19th Century in the United States. Hairwork was an expression of memory and beauty. Locks of hair and wreaths memorialized lost loved ones while pieces of hair jewelry were shared as tokens of love and remembrance.
Long hair in the Victorian age was a sign of femininity and virtue. A woman could go her entire life without getting her hair cut. Jewelry and tokens made from hair, therefore, had a special significance.
Women would collect hair from their brushes and place it in containers called hair receivers. When enough hair had been collected, it could be made into a hairpiece to plump up her current hairstyle or it could be woven into jewelry.
 PortraitPortrait of an unidentified young woman with long loose hair, c. 1870s, 6 1/2"x4 1/4" |
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 Hair ReceiverWhite and pale green ceramic hair receiver with painted rose design made in France, c. 1899, 4 1/4"x3" |
 Hair Receiver (open)White and pale green ceramic hair receiver with painted rose design made in France, c. 1899, 4 1/4"x3" |