Local historian Elizabeth DeWolfe explores Maine’s fascination with crafting keepsakes from human hair
Photo: elizabethdewolfe.com
Mourning Through Art: Victorian Hair Jewelry Featured at Springvale Lecture
By Brian Boisvert
When Elizabeth DeWolfe tells people she studies Victorian hair jewelry, the reaction is predictable: a mix of fascination and revulsion. But the historian wants audiences to reconsider their squeamishness.
“Many find it creepy or gross to think of wearing jewelry made of or containing human hair,” DeWolfe admits. But she quickly points out a connection to modern life: “How many mothers out there save hair from a child’s first haircut? That habit is the legacy of earlier practices with hair.”
DeWolfe will present “Mourning Maine’s Dead: Victorian Hair Jewelry & Crafts” on February 22 at 3:00 pm at the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum. The free lecture, part of the museum’s ongoing series, explores how 19th-century Mainers transformed human hair into elaborate wreaths, jewelry, and keepsakes as a way to mourn the dead and celebrate the living.
In Victorian-era Maine, death was an ever-present reality. To cope with profound loss, from devastating child mortality rates to the carnage of war, Mainers turned to an unusual art form that has largely disappeared from modern practice.
“Victorians sought ways to find meaning in the sadness of child deaths and the horror of the Civil War at a time where it was not appropriate to ask of God, ‘why?’,” DeWolfe explains. “Remembering the departed with hairwork wreaths or small pieces of jewelry was symbolic of the belief that everyone would be reunited in heaven. Hairwork was a visible reminder to live a virtuous life so that you, too, would achieve a heavenly home.”
The practice centered on Portland entrepreneur Mary Baker, who built a thriving home-based business crafting flowers, wreaths, and jewelry from human hair. Her work tapped into a national craze, but the tradition found particularly fertile ground in Maine.
“Mainers are particularly known for not wasting anything, so using human hair in creative arts is part of a tradition of ‘use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without,'” DeWolfe notes.
While mourning jewelry gets the most attention today, DeWolfe’s research reveals that most Victorian hair art actually celebrated the living. According to Portland hair-worker business records, the most popular items were friendship rings exchanged between young women.
“By and large in the 19th century, the majority of hair jewelry was made for fashion and as a way to bond friends,” DeWolfe says. “Young women would place a tiny braid of hair into a ring with an inset channel and give it to a friend.” The item’s shape and design indicated whether it was meant for mourning or fashion.
Family wreaths represent the most elaborate expressions of the art form. These large-scale pieces contained individually crafted flowers, each made from a different family member’s hair and originally labeled with corresponding names. Sadly, most of these notations have been lost to time.
“I do have one piece with names, and I have been searching for the family in Maine records, but have had no luck yet,” DeWolfe says.
The transformation of hair from acceptable to “unclean” came at the turn of the 20th century, when progressive reformers advocated for new hygiene standards. “Hair is one of those now-unclean products (along with spit),” DeWolfe notes. “Note that it’s at this same time that the idea of regularly cleaning one’s hair becomes a practice and shampoo becomes a new and novel product.”
But the impulse to keep physical reminders of loved ones hasn’t disappeared — it has simply evolved. “We share with the Victorians a desire to hold on to a piece of our loved ones,” DeWolfe observes. “While we no longer make hair jewelry, today you can turn your loved one’s ashes into a diamond, glass pendants, or even tattoo ink to use in a very personal tattoo.”
DeWolfe’s research has taken her to unexpected places, including Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri. “The most surprising moment was not a single item but rather, an entire museum dedicated to Victorian hair art,” she says. “[They have] thousands of pieces of this unique Victorian craft. It’s amazing!”
At the February 22 lecture, DeWolfe will bring several examples of hair work, including a family wreath and 19th-century scrapbooks where people collected snips of hair instead of autographs. The illustrated presentation will cover the origins of hair work, braiding techniques, the role of professional hair workers like Mary Baker, and the fashion’s eventual decline.
“We’ll also look at hair items in 19th-century popular fiction. You’ll hear some great (and groan-worthy!) stories,” DeWolfe promises. She encourages attendees to bring their own hair jewelry or hairwork items if they have them.
Doors open at 2:15 pm. While admission is free, donations are welcome. The lecture is supported by the Maine Humanities Council and the Harry A. Mapes Charitable Trust. For more information, call 207-490-1028 or email info@sanfordhistory.org.
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