Hair Works

By Suzanne 

How do you commemorate a lost loved one if you cannot photograph them? We are all familiar with the olden practice of keeping a picture of our loved one in a locket when we can not see them. Today we might keep a picture of our significant other as the lock screen on our cell phone or laptop. But before modern technology when photographs were highly expensive, not all families could afford to keep a picture of their loved ones. So what most people did was create jewellery from the hair of the ones they held close.

 These pieces of jewellery were very common, and the hair could be taken before a loved one had to go away for a while, or even when they passed away. Jewellery made from hair was very sentimental and intimate. Rather than simply having a picture, it was literally having a piece of them with you at all times. Unfortunately, this tradition went out of style in the early 1900s. Many broaches and watch fobs can still be found today in museums and archives. The amazing detail in these works is astounding, all made by hand, this beautiful art form is still appreciated and mimicked by many.  

Suzanne is a student at Trinity College School and guest writer for the Museum.