Name/Title
Hair WreathEntry/Object ID
1968.01.01Description
Horseshoe-shaped wreath of human hair, multiple different shades and textures crocheted into flowers and foliage with a bird nestled at the bottom. Pinned to a backing of gold crushed velvet, displayed in a custom-made wooden case with a glass cover.
These types of handiwork were suggested to Victorian ladies through such publications as "Godey's." They were not always 'mourning' pieces; some represented ties of friendship and kin with living contributors. Note that the wreath has not been completed - small bare wires await further work that was never done. although it is called a wreath, the piece was always meant to be a horseshoe shape; by leaving a gap at the top, it was thought that the souls of the people in the wreath could escape.
it was bought from a woman who asserted that it was a Civil-War era piece. The family who made it were from southern Michigan before going northAcquisition
Accession
1968.01Source or Donor
Lois Farmer McGinnisLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Wreath, HairworkNomenclature Sub-Class
MemorabiliaNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects