Hair Bracelet
Maker Unknown
Date: circa 1800
Place Made: England
Materials & Techniques: Hair, gold, enamel
Dimensions: Length 16.8 cm
Accession Number: The Bowes Museum, X.5102
This bracelet is actually made of six strands of plaited human hair. Hair jewellery was first developed in Sweden over one hundred years ago and became very popular in Britain and America. This kind of jewellery preserved a physical part of a person and had two main functions: it could either be given as a token of affection by both men and women; or it could be worn in mourning, to remember someone who had died.
Almost all hair work jewellery was made around a mould which was attached to a hole in the centre of a special table. The hair was wound on a series of bobbins and weights to ensure that the woven braid work would be straight and even. When the work was finished, the hair and the mould were boiled in water for fifteen minutes. Once the hair was dry it was removed from the mould and sent to a jewellers, where it would be mounted and decorated with jewels and precious stones.
Teachers' Information
Throughout the 19th century the act of giving hair-work jewellery was common – Queen Victoria gave pieces of jewellery made from her own hair to her children and grandchildren and Napoleon Bonaparte wore his watch on a chain made from the hair of his wife. In a time when photographs and photography were rare, hair was valued for sentimental reasons and could be preserved as a physical part of a loved one. In lieu of photographs young girls kept scrapbooks of their schoolmates’ hair, usually with a name and a verse to go with it identifying whose hair it was.
Activities
1. Discuss with your class what object or material they would give today if they wanted to show someone that they cared.
2. Ask the children in your class to design a piece of jewellery. Before they start they should decide who they would like to give the piece of jewellery to and how they are going to show or remind this person that they designed it. For example, if the designer was good at football, they could design a friendship bracelet made from football-boot laces.