By Rose McLendon

Imagine for a moment a loved one, be it parent, friend, or sweetheart. Imagine that it's that magical time in the relationship - the point in which you excitedly give a token to express your love and admiration. What sort of object would be appropriate? Chocolates? A framed photo? A lock of hair? Keep imagining... 

How about a hairwork? Hairworking was the practice of creating art with human hair. The craft started in the early 1600s with artists and jewelers, but exploded in popularity during the 1840s due to widespread instruction of the public. How-to booklets and articles were published. The popular Godey's Lady Book, a Victorian magazine for well-heeled women, offered step-by-step articles and hair braiding services in several of its issues. A 37-page reference and instruction booklet titled "The Art of Hair Chain Braiding: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Hair Braiding, for Watch Chains, Fobs, Etc." was published in 1911. Classes were another way to learn how to work with hair.

An advertisement in an Arizonan newspaper offered classes at the local convent. It was a sly way for mothers to occupy their daughters' time in order to prevent the youngsters from associating with dangerous men. A third method in learning the art of hairworking was to form "circles," similar to sewing bees. These gatherings were often an opportunity to socialize and to share patterns and finished pieces with friends. 

Working with human hair was a drawn out and complicated process, but hairbraiding was especially difficult. First, a bundle of hair that was equal in length was tied together. After combing out any tangles, the braider ran her hand down the bundle until she reached the last thirty or forty strands sticking out from the bottom. Pulling these out, she created another little bundle. After making sixteen of these bundles, she knotted every end and weighed each bunch down with bits of lead. The preparation of the strands was the most time-consuming and difficult part; if a braider could accomplish the work up to this point, then she would be able to complete the project. The sixteen bunches were then braided around a wire-stiffened cord. If the braider required a braid that would stretch, the cord could be replaced with elastic. Patterns for braiding varied: Square-shaped, Single Spiral, Double Spiral. If a lady did not believe that her hairworking skills were up to par, she could send the collected hair and a small fee to trained professionals and they would prepare the piece she desired. 

Hairworks were popular pieces of art exchanged among friends, lovers, and relatives. Several different styles of hairwork art existed. Baby's hair may have been used to create a locket for Mama. Hair from the recently departed was woven into a satin backing to form a wreath, which was then framed and hung on the wall. Amorous young ladies braided chains and watch fobs for their gentleman callers. One could make jewelry, such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, and lockets; wreaths and woven pictures attached with fruit, leaves, flowers, and fanciful curlicues (all made from hair); or accessories like watch fobs and chains. 

The thought of working with human hair, especially of the deceased, may seem morbid to us today, but in the Victorian age, working with the hair of someone you loved was a sentimental expression, one that was encouraged and nurtured. Although this fad flourished throughout the 19th Century, hairwork fell out of fashion in the U.S. by the beginning of the 1900s, though there is still a village in Sweden that specializes in hairwork. 

If you are interested in viewing an excellent example of hairwork, the Fremont House on the Heritage Campus of Sharlot Hall Museum houses a hair wreath made by Caroline McCluer in 1856. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Noon to 4 p.m. 

(Rose McLendon is a graduate student in library science at the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 2005 summer intern at the Sharlot Hall Museum Library and Archives.) 


Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(Hairwork photo taken 8-30-05) Reuse only by permission.
This hairwork design by Caroline McCluer, done in 1856, hangs, framed, in the Fremont House on the grounds of the Sharlot Hall Museum.