The Taxonomy of Tresses: Material Clues and Methods for Interpreting Victorian Hair Wreaths as Art, Keepsake, and Record
The Taxonomy of Tresses: Material Clues and Methods for Interpreting Victorian Hair Wreaths as Art, Keepsake, and Record
by Diane Irby
It is a common misconception that Victorian wirework hair flowers and wreaths are primarily mourning artifacts that were created to memorialize the dead. However, this is a narrow misinterpretation that, as a historian, I seek to correct. Though hairwork wreaths are invariably linked to customs related to Victorian mourning culture, evidence suggests they were, in fact, more commonly crafted from the hair of the living.
It is understandable why people associate hair wreaths with mourning - Victorian culture was steeped in elaborate rituals of grief. But not every lock of hair was a eulogy. The idea that all - or even most - hair wreaths were mourning objects greatly simplifies a rich tradition into a single emotional purpose, reinforcing a narrow and limiting view of 19th-century sentimentality and how it was performed.
While some were created to honor the dead, a majority of Victorian hair wreaths and sculptures we encounter today were made for sentimental reasons, crafted as celebratory tokens of affection, friendship, or familial connections, made from hair of living friends, relatives, and loved ones. Primary sources providing instruction on how to make hairwork flowers support this premise, calling for “live hair, that is, hair from the head of a living person…”[1]
Operating as a tangible form of the family tree, some hair wreaths also served as a visual genealogical record, such as this example - in all likelihood, made from the hair of generations.
Hairwork Family Tree, Unidentified.
Likewise, some wirework hairwork flowers, compiled into wreaths or sculptures, were created to represent entire communities, such as members of a small town or church. Meant to symbolize kinship, collective identity, and community, hair wreaths created for these purposes were proudly displayed in family parlors and places where communities would congregate.
Primitive Methodist Society Dome (Hair Tree of Church Staff), 1864. From the collection of John Whitenight & Frederick LaValley. http://muttermuseum.org/exhibitions/woven-strands-the-art-of-human-hair-work.
Beyond commemorating kinship and community, certain hairwork pieces meant for display served a ceremonial function, explicitly marking an individual’s rite of passage rather than recording a relationship. In these instances, the artifact commemorates a life-changing transition, often social or religious in nature, where the cutting of hair itself was the central act of transformation. Examples include wreaths or small framed pieces created from a young boy's long locks upon being cut for the first time as he entered school age, or, perhaps, hair cut by a woman entering a convent. These pieces capture a specific, singular moment of transition or sacrifice, functioning as a tangible relic of a former version of oneself or a decisive step into a new life. This nun’s hair wreath provides a compelling illustration of hairwork as a record of spiritual and social metamorphosis.
“Catholic Sister Mary Magdalena entered the church, July 29, 1897.”
Furthermore, some hairwork flowers and wreaths were created with no underlying emotional motivation whatsoever, made purely for the enjoyment of artistic and creative expression. The few contemporaneous instructional texts frame hairwork flower and wreath making as a creative craft or social pastime, listing it alongside other various artistic pursuits, such as shellwork, fern pressing, glass etching, wax flower-making, and the like - all types of ladies’ “fancywork” - suggesting no inherent ritualistic purpose for indulging in the craft.[2]
These types of creative hairwork projects were exhibited at state fairs and expositions as examples of fine domestic art. And there is even primary source evidence that women would sometimes purchase hair specifically for creating these projects, indicating that they had no personal connection to the source of the hair they were using, such as this marvelous tidbit from the Friday, September 15, 1882, Bourbon News (Bourbon County, KY.), 'Society Scintillations' column, that describes a hair wreath measuring nearly three feet in diameter, made by Miss Ella Flynn, of Lexington, as “the handsomest piece of fancywork shown at our fair, which took ten months' arduous labor and $10,000 worth of hair and patience to make it.”[3]
Friday, September 15, 1882, Bourbon News (Bourbon County, KY.), 'Society Scintillations' column.
How, then, can we distinguish a mourning hair wreath from one created for sentimental, genealogical, communal, ceremonial, or creative purposes? The reality is that a definitive determination is not always possible, as antique hairwork commonly lacks the documentation or provenance that offers the necessary basis for authenticating the emotional intent behind its creation. Without such records, we are left to rely on material clues to establish our best conjecture.
A successful analysis, however, requires viewing each piece holistically. The categories within this taxonomy are not impermeable; overlap is common, and some pieces may not fit neatly into one classification. For instance, a wreath may exhibit characteristics of both a sentimental keepsake and a genealogical record. Therefore, the viewer must rely on the confluence of evidence from the artifact’s formal properties, construction techniques, and iconographic symbolism to make an informed assertion. This complexity is perhaps best illustrated by transitional artifacts - wreaths that began as a family tree for the living but later incorporated the hair of the deceased. These artifacts stand as a powerful testament to the enduring, complex role of material culture in reflecting human emotion and the profound ways in which we choose to document and remember our connections to one another.
Here are some material clues we might consider when attempting to interpret the emotional function of a hair wreath, though it is not an exhaustive list:
Shape/Form/Composition
Sentimental/Family/Group
- Completed circle, symbolizing unbroken/eternal love or kinship.
- Branching composition, structurally depicting a tree, or emanating from a central point.
- Individual or clustered motifs of similar or varying hair colors, suggesting multiple individuals or family units, such as a group composed of several families.
Possible Family Hairwork Wreath, circular shaped, with elaborate lining in a light color that highlights the colors of the hair.
Rite of Passage
- The piece consists of a single, large, isolated lock of hair, tendril(s), or braid(s), or one dominant central flower/design.
Creative
- Exceptional scale or an impractical quantity of hair, suggesting an attempt to create a large-scale artistic or competition piece, as opposed to a family keepsake.
Mourning
- Horseshoe or open circle, symbolizing the soul’s ascent to heaven, or a finished life (the circle is intentionally broken), sometimes including the hair of many, being a designated wreath specifically for mourning that was added to when each person passed - somewhat of an overlap of categories.
Hair Inclusion
Sentimental
- Hair appears to belong to only one or two people, but the overall piece is small, possibly indicating that only single locks of hair that could be spared were available to make it with.
- Hair appears to belong to a couple or only a few various people and is integrated throughout the piece, perhaps made from the hair of sisters or the children of a family, for example, but not necessarily from a wide variety of family members.
A hairwork wreath made with the hair of possibly two or three people, different but similar color - perhaps sisters. The other clues - white flowers (innocence, purity) arranged in a circular composition (living) completed with a bow (feminine, young) - all point to this possibility.
Family/Group
- Hair appears to belong to a wider variety of people and is integrated throughout the piece, reflecting a large number of contributors.
Hair-work wreath by Amy Ida Williams, south-central Pennsylvania, 1882–1883. hair collected from 52 relatives, herself, and her horse. Whitenight and LaValley collection; Kolc photograph. https://www.themagazineantiques.com/article/trim-and-ends/.
Transitional
- Hair appears to belong to a wider variety of people and is integrated throughout the piece, with the hair of one or a few placed prominently in a distinct central motif, which would belong to the most recently deceased member(s) of the family or group.
Possible family hairwork wreath, horseshoe shaped, with prominent center.
Rite of Passage
- The piece is made entirely from a large, uniform volume of hair from a single individual, but lacks the typical memorial imagery, signifying a major cutting event.
Creative
- Hair is of a uniform color and texture throughout, possibly suggesting commercially purchased hair.
- Hair is of a more unusual or highly sought-after color, possibly indicating that the hair was sourced in order to fulfill a specific creative vision and for aesthetic purposes.
Mourning
- Hair appears to belong to only one person, especially when it is a large amount, indicating all or a large quantity of a person’s hair was used.
- Inclusion of a portrait of a single person, along with the hair appearing to belong only to that one person.
- Hair that is grey/white, possibly indicating that the person was older.
Iconography and Symbolism
Sentimental/Family/Group
- The piece features a diverse floral palette, indicating no one symbolic meaning, but rather a general romantic (including friendship), familial, or communal meaning. Some of these may include pansies, roses, and forget-me-nots (though they were also sometimes used in mourning objects as well).
- Inclusion of symbols of unity, such as clasped hands, hearts, lovers’ knots (although these symbols do also appear in mourning objects as well).
Three generations of The Heuberger family, “Andenken der Familie,” “Family Souvenir.”
Rite of Passage
- Inclusion of objects or imagery specific to a transition, such as a rosary or other religious symbolism.
Mourning
- Inclusion of explicit memorial symbols, such as weeping willow trees, urns, or landscape scenes depicting a churchyard or graves, sometimes by combining other forms of hairwork with hair flowers.
- Specific symbolic flora, such as lilies or marigolds, that signify grief, loss, or sorrow.
An elaborate wirework hairwork sculpture bursting with iconographical elements.
Inscribed Element
Family/Group
- Inclusion of a family or group portrait, for example, a mother with her children, an entire extended family, or a group of church members, or different portraits of various people included throughout or surrounding the composition. The placement of the photos could help determine how intimate the relationships might be amongst the individuals, such as, whether they are more randomly placed, grouped, or arranged in an orderly or systematic fashion.
- A single date that could indicate the establishment of the family or group, for example, the date of a marriage, or when a town or church was established.
Possibly a family or group (small town or church congregation) piece featuring hair work and photographs, American, mid-to late nineteenth century. Gimp-work hair with glass beads and porcelain on white paper, and 20 cartes de visite by Scholfield Photographer, Westerly, Rhode Island, in what is probably the original wood frame; 36 by 32 inches. The piece was acquired from a Connecticut estate. Collection of Evan Michelson; Numen photograph, courtesy of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Mütter Museum. https://www.themagazineantiques.com/article/trim-and-ends/.
Transitional
- Inclusion of a portrait of a single person - presumably the deceased - placed centrally, surrounded by the diverse hair of presumably living family members. This visual hierarchy shows the person being remembered by the collective.
Possible family-transitional hairwork wreath, with single portrait centrally positioned, surrounded by hairwork flowers of various colors and styles.
Rite of Passage
- Inclusion of a portrait of the “new self.”
- A single date that could indicate an event.
Creative
- No narrative of loss or kinship - any inscription or accompanying documentation mentions only the artist and not the source of the hair, such as a single name or signature.
- A single inscribed date, presumably the date of completion, indicating the project was a one-time endeavor, created within one defined period rather than an ongoing project, created by cumulative effort incrementally over time.
Mourning
- Inclusion of a portrait of a single person within the wreath or shadowbox, combined with hair that appears to belong only to that one individual.
- The addition of one person’s initials or dates might indicate birth and death.
Possible mourning hairwork wreath, with the inclusion of a portrait of one person.
Color/Materials Used/Overall Aesthetic/Context
Sentimental/Family/Group/Transitional
- Backing fabric of the shadowbox may be in a color that highlights or showcases the hair and/or the diversity of hair colors used throughout the piece.
- The overall aesthetic of the piece is simple and not too fussy.
- Evidence of varying skill levels or construction over time, suggesting incremental additions by different family members.
Creative
- Inclusion of non-hair elements commonly found in other types of fancywork projects, such as shells or feathers, suggesting an interdisciplinary approach drawing on a wider array of creative inspiration.
- The piece showcases highly advanced, intricate, or unusual techniques that push the limits of the craft, or is flawlessly executed, with an attempt to craft each component symmetrically and uniformly sized, indicating the maker prioritized demonstrating technical skill over preserving an intimate token.
Mourning
- The backing fabric of the shadowbox may be a darker color.
- Backing fabric may resemble the interior lining of a casket - often created by the same manufacturers of casket linings and/or sometimes upholstered by a funeral professional. However, a shadowbox with an elaborate lining was an option for any type of hairwork, provided one had the means to acquire such a vessel for their completed hairwork.
- The overall aesthetic of the piece is more elaborate, more obviously created as a tribute.
- Shows signs of being created within a single timeframe, rather than over time.
To truly appreciate Victorian hairwork, we must remember that it was about more than just grief. Victorian women were not merely mourners - they were imaginative, innovative artists. Inaccurately labeling all Victorian hair wreaths as mourning objects minimizes the broader context of nineteenth-century domestic artistry and emotional labor, too easily overlooking the vibrant, human stories woven into them, as well as the skill and creativity of their makers.
© 2025 Diane Irby. All rights reserved. This content may not be copied or distributed without written permission from the author.
To cite this essay:
Irby, Diane. “The Taxonomy of Tresses: Material Clues and Methods for Interpreting Victorian Hair Wreaths as Art, Keepsake, and Record.” Victorian Hairwork by dirby.art (victorianhairwork.art), October 2025. https://www.victorianhairwork.art/journal-research/the-taxonomy-of-tresses-material-clues-and-methods-for-interpreting-victorian-hair-wreaths-as-art-keepsake-and-record.
Note: The digital edition of this essay will be continuously updated with additional photographic examples to further illustrate the material clues and analysis methods discussed.
I do not own the copyright to all of the photos or images used in this essay. My use of potentially copyrighted content falls under Fair Use guidelines for the purpose of education, as outlined in Section 107 of the Copyright Act.
I have included as much information as available to me for each image used. I will update if I can find more information. If any of these images belong to you, and you would like me to remove them or credit you, please let me know, and I will be happy to do so. My intent in using these images is for educational purposes only.
Notes:
[1] L. B. Urbino and Henry Day, Art Recreations: A Guide to Decorative Art (Boston: S.W. Tilton, 1884), 302.
[2] C. S. Jones (Mrs.) and Henry T. Williams, Ladies' Fancy Work: Hints and Helps to Home Taste and Recreations (New York: H. T. Williams, 1876).
[3] "Society Scintillations" column, Bourbon News (Paris, KY), September 15, 1882.
Bibliography:
Jones, C. S. (Mrs.), and Henry T. Williams. Ladies' Fancy Work: Hints and Helps to Home Taste and Recreations. New York: H. T. Williams, 1876.
"'Society Scintillations,' column." Bourbon News (Paris, KY), September 15, 1882.
Urbino, L. B. (Levina Buoncuore), and Henry Day. Art Recreations: A Guide to Decorative Art. Boston: S.W. Tilton, 1884.