Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week
By Jan Buffington
Vigo County Historical Society

Hair art makes lasting impression

Hair work can be found in a few pieces of delicate jewelry from the 18th century but it was most popular from the 1840s to the 1880s.

The art of twisting loops of hair with wire is almost a lost art but hair weaving techniques are still done today with a variety of materials such as wheat, yarn and floss.

During the Victorian ear, hair was used in several forms of art. It was used to fashion flowers and leaves for wreaths, placed in jewelry to remember departed loved ones and woven to make jewelry. Some hair jewelry was finely woven to make delicate earrings, necklaces, rings or pins. Other hair jewelry was woven into heavier jewelry such as this watch chain, our Historical Treasure for today.

Hair was considered a symbol of eternity for the Victorians because it appears to continue to grow after death. It was also an appealing art material because it is strong, flexible, versatile and natural. Hair was collected daily in a hair received, taken from a deceased family member, or cut from the artist’s own tresses.

This watch chain was made by Regina (Jennie) Neukom from her own hair. She used several weaving techniques to form the chain. It was a gift for her future husband, Charles Lammers, around 1872 or 1873, just before their marriage. He wore the chain for several years. When the chain became worn, it was placed in a shadow box along with a picture of the couple.

The picture of the young couple and the watch chain was donated to the museum by their daughter, Minnie B. Lammers, and is located in the adult bedroom on the second floor of the museum.

While visiting the museum, also look for other examples of hair art that has been donated to the museum.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.