The art of hair weaving:

SEPIA JEWELRY- this item is painted with finely chopped hair and done in sepia tones- most were done as landscapes

braided hair inside of a brooch- this would have been a mourning piece- note the black stones surrounding it

examples of hair weaving patterns

patterns for TABLE WORK

PALETTE WORK- this was done by laying it flat and then gluing it onto a base

these could be made from many different family members

another brooch

this would have been worn in 1/2 morning

TABLE WORK- they used a table with a hole in the middle to hold and weigh the hair down. This is a watch fob, made of hair. The hair worked up to about 1/2 the length of the original hair.

a watch fog- store bought

The art of hair weaving has been traced back to 1600 Scandinavia and continued through the 1800's, being adopted as a mourning custom in Victorian times.

Both men and women exchanged locks of hair, since there were no photos yet in the 1600's, as remembrances. Even though photos were around in the 1800's, not all families had the opportunity to have them taken. Sometimes the only photo they would have of someone was one taken post mortem- or after they had died- either in the coffin or lying in bed.

Hair was an excellent item to keep since it did not decompose.
Today- the art of hair weaving is self taught since there are no schools that teach it. It can be done with human hair or horse hair as well.

NOTE- NOT ALL HAIR WEAVING IS A MOURNING PIECE