HairworkHairwork, the craft of weaving human hair into jewelry, wreaths, and chains, has its roots in the Scandinavian countries. Sweden's wigmaker's guild first controlled the industry. Later many young women did hairwork and sold it during the months in which they were not working on the family farm. The craft spread throughout Europe. It came to the United States from England, where hairwork had been made since the 1600s.People made hairwork by wrapping lengths of hair and wire around a knitting needle, making a sort of chain called a gimp. The gimp was then twisted and shaped into flowers and other forms. The maker used a small padded table on which to pin the work as he or she braided and wove the hair. In the United States, hairwork was most popular between 1850 and 1870. The horseshoe-shaped wreaths, like the one shown in this gallery, were open-ended so the maker could add to them. Rather than being mourning objects, they were symbols of life and were treated much like family portraits. Personal ornaments like rings, bracelets, pins, earrings, and necklaces were made with compartments to hold locks or braids of hair. People exchanged them as gifts. The hair from a baby's first haircut was often saved this way. Hairwork became associated with death during a period when sales of hairwork produced by jewelers and catalog companies were down. To increase business, the companies advertised for people to keep hair of loved ones who died to have it made into jewelry. Attitudes about hairwork eventually changed, and hairwork was no longer made. Existing hairwork objects were stored away.
|