Victorian Hairwork, Victorian Hair Wreath, Victorian Hair Art, 19th Century Crafts, 19th Century Domestic Arts, Women’s History, Domestic Artistry, Memory and Mourning, Memory and Mourning Practices, Victorian Mourning, American Folk Art Diane Irby Victorian Hairwork, Victorian Hair Wreath, Victorian Hair Art, 19th Century Crafts, 19th Century Domestic Arts, Women’s History, Domestic Artistry, Memory and Mourning, Memory and Mourning Practices, Victorian Mourning, American Folk Art Diane Irby

Hair Flowers Poem, 1877

Discover a rare 1877 poem, "Hair Flowers" by Mrs. S.A. Wachter, published in the Catoctin Clarion, which offers an intimate look into the role of Victorian hairwork as a treasured material language of memory and sentiment, demonstrating the skillful artistry of its makers.

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American History, 19th Century America, Civil War Studies, Photography and Visual Culture, Memory and Mourning, Material Culture, History of Photography, Early Photography, Battlefield Photography Diane Irby American History, 19th Century America, Civil War Studies, Photography and Visual Culture, Memory and Mourning, Material Culture, History of Photography, Early Photography, Battlefield Photography Diane Irby

Portraits of War: Identity, Intimacy, and Memory in American Civil War Culture

Civil War-era portrait photography shaped identity, intimacy, and mourning for soldiers and families. This in-depth essay by Diane Irby explores the emotional and cultural power of photographs in the face of death, distance, and shifting social norms during the American Civil War.

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