Victorian Hair Mourning Wreath, 5-7 Shades, Glass Bulbs, Floral Motif

Antiques : Victorian : Mourning Items

 

This is a fantastic Victorian human hair wreath that was meant to memorialize the deceased or loved ones.

A bit of background info for you on hair wreaths:

"Hair wreaths were immensely popular in the 1800's. They were made of human hair and adorned with such materials as glass bulbs, beads, jet, etc... A form of hairwork is hair flowers. These are formed by "stitching" the hair with fine wire over a rod which forms a series of loops which are then formed into different flower shapes. Most of the hair wreaths were formed into a horseshoe shaped wreath that was placed on a silk or velvet background inside the frame. When memorial wreaths were made, hair was collected from the deceased and added to the wreath whenever any one died. The top of the wreath was always kept open at the top....ascending heavenward. It was said that the newest addition would be placed in the center, and then moved to the side to become part of the large wreath when the next person passed away.

Not all hair flower wreaths are memorials, some contain the hair from an entire church, a school, family etc. These wreaths could get quite large in size. They were made at a time when there were no pictures."

This particular wreath was made in the mid 1800's, most likely around 1855, and uses close to 5-7 different family members hair. The shades range from deep rich brown to a lighter shade of blondish brown. There are flowers in the majority of the piece. Embellishments include glass bulbs, seed beads, fabric, and jet. The measurement of the shadow box (not the original), is 11 1/2" by 9 1/2". Condition is fair to good. I think the past 150 years have taken a toll on this fine piece of early art. A few of the flowers are pristine, a few need some TLC. Surprisingly the glass bulbs are still intact. I think the problem has been that maybe this piece was not stored properly and got a bit smushed over the years. I am too afraid to touch it for fear of ruining it. The hair is not brittle at all, but i don't want to take the chance. Price has been adjusted for condition.

Item ID: JJS1104