LECTURE Victorian Hairwork & 19th Century Mourning Practice

The 19th century of the Victorian Era was a time rife with sentimental culture. Death rates were high due to factors including disease, war, and high childhood mortality. Queen Victoria was an unlikely fashion icon and submerged herself in mourning after the deaths of both her husband and her mother in 1861. Aside from her mostly black wardrobe, she was widely known for her love of mourning jewelry, which contained hair of a loved one inside.

Victorian hairwork became very popular in both jewelry and shadowbox form during the 19th and early-20th centuries. Join Professor Karen Bachmann as she speak on how this art form transcended the concept of a wearable human relic into a fashion statement.

This program is free to the public.