Assemblage
Object number2016.91.2
MediumWood/Paper/Satin/Hair/Metal/Felt
Credit LineGift of John R. Shifler
DescriptionFramed hair art. Square wood frame with four bands of sculpted and carved decoration; painted gold and bronze tones; glass glazing. Frame is a shadow box containing necklace-shaped woven hair art. Hair is brown and woven in the shape of flowers. Shadow box is lined with diamond-quilted white satin. Back of frame is covered in black paper.Dimensions25.688 x 27.875 x 4.375 in. (65.2 x 70.8 x 11.1 cm)Historical NotesFramed work of Victorian-era hair art from unknown ancestors of the donor, John R. Shifler. Hair art existed since the 1200s, but reached its peak in popularity starting in the 1860s through the Victorian period. Hair art or jewelry was often commemorative of a lost relative or a loved one. Framed wreaths such as this one donated were often made up of several family members hair and added to as more people passed. They typically opened heavenward.
On View
Not on view
1964
c. 1929
1875-1899
