Wreath, Hairwork
Colchester Historeum
Tous droits réservés.
| Nom de l'objet : | Wreath, Hairwork |
| Catégorie de l'objet : | Memorabilia |
| Matériaux : | Glass |
| Numéro d'accession : | 78.572 |
| Date de début de production : | 1850-01-01 |
| Date de fin de production : | 1950-12-31 |
| Description : | Hexagonal shadow box with a wreath made from hair inside it. The box is lined with fabric. The wreath is made up of intricate flowers made from hair. |
| Commentaires : | Hair wreaths were made in the nineteenth century alongside the development of mourning jewelleryjewellery that was made from the deceaseds hair. Up until the mid- nineteenth century, wig-makers guilds had had strong policies on hair work, and it was unlawful to sell hair items they were not a product of a wig-makers guild. Hair was used for different commercial purposes, and by the 1850s had become a somewhat expensive commodity. At the 1853 Crystal Palace Exposition in New York City, there was a full line of hair jewellery on view, as well as a tea set made from hair. Also during the 1950s, Godeys Ladys Book and Petersons Magazine published instructions and pattern for making hair brooches, hair cuff links, and hair bracelets. Mourning jewellery became more popular after Prince Albert passed away in 1861, and Queen Victoria expressed extensive grief. At the same time, during the American Civil War, mourning jewellery was made from deceased soldiers hair. A soldier would leave hair with their family members, which was made into a piece of mourning jewellery when they passed away. Hair was even collected from fourteen of the first US presidents, and mounted in a shadow box. With this said, hair craftwork is strongly associated with Vamhus, Sweden. In the early 1800s women in Vamhus were very skilled at making jewellery and crafts from hair. The women divided into small groups and traveled to Finland, Germany, England, and Norway to sell their work. Hair wreaths are most often memorial wreaths of more than one persons hair. Although, they can also be collections of hair from living members of churches, schools, or extended family. Typically, when a person died, hair was collected from them, and added to the wreath. The wreath was made up of elaborate and intricate stitched hair flowers, that when assembled together, formed a horseshoe shaped wreath. The top of the wreath is the open partit is symbolic for ascension to heaven. For the most part, the wreath was an ongoing processthe latest person to die was added to the center of the wreath. They were moved to another area of the wreath when the next person past away. Hair wreath flowers were formed from stitched hair. The hair was stitched with fine wire around rod guides. The wreaths were embellished with pearls or seeds or other small, sentimental objects. The wreaths were usually mounted in a silk or velvet lined box. Makers sometimes include a label or list of whose hair was in the wreath and what flower corresponded with them. Hair was also used in other ways during the Victorian Era. Palatte work or cut work was done by gluing hair to a flat piece of tissue paper. When the glue dried the mounted hair was cut into different shapes. The small shapes were assembled to make a pattern or design, and the resultant form was placed in a brooch, pendant, or other setting. Sepia hair painting refers to small paintings that have paint that is coloured by finely ground hair. Little paintings were made with the hair paint, and sometimes this art form was used in conjunction with cut work, or, with the addition of a single colour pastel background. Table work is the method that was used for mourning jewellery. Womens tables were 32 to 33 inches high and mens tables were 48 inches high. They had a small, circular top, and look more like a stool than a table. The work was done sitting and standing. Hair was prepared in a fifteen minute soda-water-boil. After it boiled, the hair was organized by lengths, and put into groups of 20 to 30 hairs. The hair was wound onto different bobbins, and was kept straight by weights attached to it. It was necessary to have long hair for a lot of the jewellery pieces. The strands were woven and stitched around a mold or hard form. Intricate forms like spiral earrings would need unique molds made by wood turners. Molds attached at the center of the table. After the work was finished, it was boiled again for fifteen minutes. Once it dried it was taken off the mold, and sent to a jeweller to be mounted. |
| Établissement : |
Colchester Historeum
 Facebook-Colchester Historeum
 Twitter-Colchester Historeum
 YouTube-Colchester Historeum
|
| Ville de l'établissement : | Truro |
| Province de l'établissement : | Nova Scotia |
Coordonnées de cette page web
-
Pour proposer des corrections ou des mises à jour sur cette page, veuillez contacter directement le Réseau canadien d’information sur le patrimoine (RCIP).