Hair Wreath
Object NameHair Wreath
OriginUSA
MediumHuman Hair
Dimensions10 3/4 × 7 1/4 × 2 in. (27.3 × 18.4 × 5.1 cm)
Other (Wreath): 7 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (19.1 × 10.8 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Natural Substances
Credit LineGift of Gertrude Cookingham Smith. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number77.44.1
Status
Not on viewLabel TextExhibited in a shadow box frame, this work of art depicts a brown flower wreath, consisting of a single center stem with side stems, flowers and blossoms attached. According to an inscription on the back of the frame, the wreath was made with hair from family members of the donor, Gertrude Cookingham Smith.
While seemingly macabre to many modern viewers, jewelry and art made of woven human hair was very popular in America in the late 19th century. In the age before digital cameras and videos, hair work began as a way of memorializing loved ones who had died. By the 1870s, women could find instructions for hair weaving as a pastime in the popular magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book, and the look eventually became so popular that ready-made commercial hair jewelry was widely available.
MarkingsWritten on the back of frame "Donated by Gertrude Cookingham Smith. Flower made from family members' hair."
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Farm House Museum, Hallway
