Hair Wreath
Maker
Unknown
Daten. d.
MediumHuman hair and wire
DimensionsSight: 26 1/2 × 22 3/8 inches (67.3 × 56.8 cm)
Credit LineTelfair Museum of Art, XX-15.
Object numberXX-15
On View
Not on view
CopyrightTelfair Museum of Art, Savannah, GeorgiaLabel TextHair wreaths combine the tradition of preserving loved ones’ hair in keepsakes with a burst of women’s crafts that occurred in the latter half of the 19th century. In addition to hair, middle and upper-class women made flowers from paper, beads, wax, feathers, and seashells to decorate their homes. Unlike these other materials, hair created a connection with the physical body of a friend or family member, and it could serve as a memorial after the person was deceased. This wreath’s size and range of colors indicate that the maker incorporated many people’s hair into the work, perhaps as a document of a family or circle of friends. The inscriptions on the back of the wreath’s frame suggest that it was owned by Mary Walthal Stroud Sandidge (1833–1917), who was born and later died in Walton County, Georgia but lived most of her life in Texas.
Text written for the exhibition 'Lingua Flora,' on view from June 21–September 8, 2024.