Hair Art in the Heritage Collection

Written by Mindy Price, Collections Manager

Throughout history, keeping and saving locks of hair from loved ones has been a common practice. This was usually done to celebrate the living or memorialize the dead. Mothers saved locks of hair from their children’s first haircuts. Clippings were taken from deceased monarchs and presidents to honor their legacies. These strands of hair were often preserved under glass or enclosed in jewelry through a process known as hairwork. Because hair degrades very slowly, these types of keepsakes provided a tangible way for people to commemorate their loved ones long after they were gone. 

Though the tradition of mourning jewelry began during the Middle Ages, hairwork peaked in popularity during the Victorian era (1837–1901). After the death of her husband Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria famously spent the rest of her life in a state of mourning. For the next 40 years, she dressed in black and wore a locket containing Albert’s hair. This ultimately sparked a wider interest in hair art and mourning fashion in popular culture. In the United States, this trend was further fueled by the high death toll during the Civil War (1861–1865).  

As its popularity grew, hairwork became more elaborate and the reasons for creating it became more varied. Beyond mourning the loss of a loved one, hairwork was used to celebrate friendships and special occasions like births and weddings. It could even be used to create a family tree or document membership of a church or social group. These hair relics could take the form of framed displays, jewelry, bouquets, and wreaths. Much like needlework, hair art was considered a domestic craft largely done by women. Because of this, the identity of the artist is rarely known or becomes lost to time if there is not good documentation supporting the piece. 

In 1867, Mark Campbell produced a handbook, titled Self-Instructor in the Art of Hair Work, containing detailed patterns showing women how to create a variety of hair jewelry designs. Campbell also provided diagrams for various braiding and curling techniques to enhance women’s hairstyles.  

There were two primary techniques used in hairwork—palette work and table work. Palette work was when the hair was laid flat and woven into patterns or cut into shapes using stencils. Table work was when hair was plaited into jewelry or keepsakes. Symbolism also played heavily into hairwork. These pieces were carefully designed with each shape and placement providing additional meaning. For example, a horseshoe shape often represented a sentiment of good luck or well wishes. Whereas a flower in the center or upper corner of a display piece might have signified a recently deceased loved one and typically included strands of their hair.

Self-Instructor in the Art of Hair Work, Dressing Hair, Making Curls, Switches, Braids, and Hair Jewelry of Every Description by Mark Campbell, 1867 

In the early 1900s, the popularity of hairwork began to fade. As photography became more accessible and affordable, people found new ways to preserve memories of their loved ones through portraiture. Fashion and home decoration styles also began to shift away from heavy and dark ornamentation to lighter and brighter alternatives. Even changing sanitary trends caused the wearing or displaying of locks of someone else’s hair to be viewed as unhygienic, morbid, or creepy. There are, of course, still artists and hobbyists who make hair art today. Hair can make a strong statement and provide a level of human connection unlike many other mediums. For the most part though, these hair relics have found their way into museum collections like ours. Minnetrista is lucky to have several examples of hairwork created by or for local residents from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  

Hairwork Wreath, c. 1882 (Minnetrista Heritage Collection, 89.240.1) 

This hairwork wreath was created to commemorate the marriage of Matilda “Tillie” Jane Henderson (1853–1932) and Charles Edward Nicewanner (1852–1925), likely by a family member of the bride. The couple wed in Springfield, Ohio in 1882 and moved to Muncie around 1890. The couple’s initials can be seen inside the horseshoe-shaped wreath of flowers. The design was made by wrapping the hair around the wire and bending it into the desired shape. An early addition to our collection, this piece was donated to the museum by the couple’s granddaughter, Jackie Leeka, in 1989.  

Hairwork Flower Bouquet, c. 1910–1920 (Minnetrista Heritage Collection, 92.85.183) 

This hairwork flower bouquet was made by Cora Hamilton (1878–1954) between about 1910 and 1920. Cora and her husband Joel W. Hamilton conducted an insurance business from their Eaton home. She created the flowers using the brown and blond hair from her two sons, Robert W. Hamilton (1907–1987) and Herbert H. Hamilton (1909–2000). Robert would go on to work for the Ball Brothers Company as a wage administrator, retiring in 1972 after more than 45 years of service. Herbert served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was present at Omaha Beach and the Nuremburg Trials. He would later go on to teach political science and social studies at Burris Laboratory School and Ball State University, even serving as Assistant Principal of Burris. He retired in 1976 after 40 years of teaching but continued to counsel future law students for another 15 years. 

Hairwork Corsage, c. 1900–1920 (Minnetrista Heritage Collection, 92.85.219) 

This hairwork corsage was likely also made by Cora Hamilton in the early 1900s. The Hamiltons were avid collectors, and Herbert donated a number of interesting items to Minnetrista in throughout the 1990s, including this hair art.

Read more about another unique item from the Hamilton family here.