Victorian Hairwork, Victorian Hair Art, Victorian Hair Wreath, 19th Century America, 19th Century Domestic Arts, Material Culture, Memory and Mourning Practices, Women’s History, Gender Studies Diane Irby Victorian Hairwork, Victorian Hair Art, Victorian Hair Wreath, 19th Century America, 19th Century Domestic Arts, Material Culture, Memory and Mourning Practices, Women’s History, Gender Studies Diane Irby

Hairwork Flowers and Wreaths, and the Material Culture of Gender Ideology

Discover how Victorian hairwork flowers and wreaths reflect the gender ideals of the 19th century. This post explores how piety, purity, submission, and domesticity shaped women’s lives, and how hairwork materialized these values in the home through acts of sentimental craft.

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Victorian Hairwork, Victorian Hair Art, Victorian Hair Wreath, Material Culture, 19th Century Crafts, 19th Century Domestic Arts, Memory and Mourning Practices Diane Irby Victorian Hairwork, Victorian Hair Art, Victorian Hair Wreath, Material Culture, 19th Century Crafts, 19th Century Domestic Arts, Memory and Mourning Practices Diane Irby

Cultural Meaning in Victorian Hairwork Wirework Hair Flowers & Wreaths

Discover the cultural significance of Victorian wirework hair flowers and wreaths - handmade keepsakes crafted from human hair that symbolized memory, affection, and family legacy in 19th-century life.

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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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