Scrapbooks

In a time before inexpensive, widespread photography, giving and receiving locks of hair was fairly common among friends. School, church or other social groups would collect their members' hair in scrapbooks as records of their time together.

Names, dates and short poems of friendship often accompanied locks of hair kept in scrapbooks. A small snip of hair, sometimes braided into intricate pattern or embellished with a paper cutout, was a personal token of affection that lasted long in memory.

Scrapbook Page Scrapbook page with locks of hair, late-19th century. One scrapbook in the collection of the Chemung County Historical Society has dozens of loose pages covered with over 110 individually crafted pieces of hair.
Reverse of Scrapbook page Reverse of scrapbook page with the names that correspond with each lock of hair, late-19th century
Detail of Lock of Hair
Detail of Lock of Hair
Detail of Lock of Hair
Detail of Lock of Hair
Detail of Lock of Hair
Detail of Lock of Hair

Scrapbook Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912. For thirty years, Jenifer Bosworth collected handprints and locks of hair from nearly 270 men, women and children.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912. Each hand print is labeled with the person's name and the date. Many of them also include a town or city, the age of the person, or a short poem.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912. The ages of the people range from only 25 days to adulthood. Most are from the Elmira/Chemung County area but there are also some from as far afield as Boston and New York City and even England.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912.
Hand from Scrapbook From Scrapbook containing hand prints with locks of hair, 1882-1912.