A Forgoten Case: A Restored Hairwork Picture

A fascinating, unique and noteworthy artefact was identified in a hidden corner of the museum: a framed hairwork picture on glass. Although the artefact certainly cannot be numbered among the category of archaeological artefacts the likes of which are usually treated at the AMI Restoration-Conservation department, the necessity of its preservation motivated the decision to carry out conservation and restoration treatment. The question that arose was how did this intriguing artefact come to the museum? AMI staffers have indicated that the artefact came from Vodnjan. A report from 1949 was located at the AMI Documentation department from which we see that curators Boris Baćić and Štefan Mlakar, in an arrangement with the authorities supervising the E. Rismondo estate in Vodnjan, took possession of five crates of books, a number of ethnographic objects, and medieval archaeological artefacts from the local church of St Michael. It is assumed that the hairwork picture in question was one of the cited ethnographic objects. This object only resurfaced decades later, like the forgotten case in a detective story; preserved in adherence of best restoration practices, the provenance of this nineteenth century gem can now be sought out.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 

Artefacts fabricated from organic materials such as human hair draw our attention because of their fragility, their intimate nature and their sentimental value. They are crafted with the outmost care, using very sensitive and personal material.

In the seventeenth century mourning jewellery was manufactured exclusively for members of the social elite and reflected the social status of the deceased, serving as a permanent memento mori (“remember (that you have) to die”). In the eighteenth century objects made of hair (pictures, sculptures and jewellery) become widely popular and spread from England to other European countries. This is the period known as sentimentalism. Mourning jewellery from this period is no longer defined by its economic, but rather by its intimate and emotional value. Various forms of this jewellery in the eighteenth century reflect changes in attitudes towards death. The focus of mourning is no longer the deceased and their glory, but rather the grieving and their grief. A new iconography is developed in the nineteenth century that is characterised by a small repertoire of elegiac motifs: landscapes and gardens, scenes, solitary trees (the willow and cypress in particular); graves decorated with urns, grieving women in pseudo-Antiquity period caps and floral ornamentation. It should be emphasised that this stereotypical iconography is associated with the semantics of grieving and with friendship. Even more frequent than the use of the hair of a deceased loved one in mourning objects is the use of the hair of living persons for the fabrication of keepsake gifts, presented as an eternal sign of friendship, remembrance or romantic love. 

In the nineteenth century hair was used in the manufacture of jewellery across Europe, but was also used in creating works of applied art. The diversity of objects created using hair appears limitless, from simple locks of hair inserted into medallions, very complex wreaths fabricated of locks of hair woven into floral forms, to miniature pictures on ivory traced out in sepia paint and finely cut hair.

Rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, brooches, amulets, cufflinks and watch fobs made of hair are often richly decorated with gold, enamel, pearls, semi-precious and precious stones of all kinds – the opulence of the material served to demonstrate the sense of friendship or love. 

The popularity of objects made of this material was not limited to jewellery alone. Pictures with floral motifs were manufactured, and three-dimensional bouquets, also made entirely of hair, were exhibited under glass domes on Victorian tables in drawing rooms. There is even a life-size portrait of Queen Victoria made entirely of human hair. It is known to us that Queen Victoria did in fact have a particular taste for objects made of hair and was fond of wearing jewellery fashioned from hair. Following the death of her beloved husband, the Prince Albert, in 1861, Queen Victoria wore a lock of his hair in a brooch attached near her heart to the end of her life.

Originally this jewellery and decorative objects were crafted by artists and were sold in specialised shops and orders were placed through catalogues. The fabrication of hairwork objects quickly became a popular pastime activity among women of the Victorian period, to such an extent that magazines of the time published free templates with instructions for “do-it-yourself” hairwork projects. Courses were organised in England and America to teach young women this skill. Practically every man of this period received a watch fob made of the hair of his fiancé, wife, sister or mother; hairwork bands are, namely, numbered among the most common objects of this kind in the nineteenth century.

HAIRWORK FABRICATION TECHNIQUES

There are a number of hairwork fabrication techniques, each used to manufacture a given type of object (applied art, pictures or sculptures).

The palette technique involved cutting hair into shapes and gluing it directly to a surface such as thin parchment (vellum), ivory or glass. Individual locks or strands of hair were used to form fine lines, while finely chopped hair could be scattered on a surface treated with adhesive to create a desired texture. This created floral type design motifs. Individual locks or strands of hair were used to form fine lines, while finely chopped hair could be scattered on a surface treated with adhesive to create a desired texture.

Table work involved working on a special braiding table with a hole in the middle, where hair was braided using bobbins and weights into a complex lace network, often adorned with gold and pearls. This type of work was particularly arduous: the hair was cooked in water and soda for fifteen minutes, then was sorted by length into bunches. The majority of jewellery of this kind required very long hair – fabricating a bracelet, for example, required strands with a length of from 50 to 60 centimetres. Sometimes the hair was shaped around a wooden mould to achieve a desired shape. The moulds were crafted by local woodturners. The mould would be attached in the hole at the centre of the worktable. The hair would be wound around a series of bobbins and held by weights to keep the braid straight. When the work was done and the mould/form was still in place it would be immersed in a pot with water and cooked for fifteen minutes, then dried before the object was carefully removed from the form. Only then was it ready for mounting by a goldsmith.

The sepia technique (working with sepia paint) involved finely chopped hair mixed with an adhesive or ground to a powder with a mortar and pestle and dissolved in distilled water, yielding a brown pigment that was applied to ivory, glass, or fine parchment. Sepia paint could be used to draw out the details. This technique was usually used to depict miniature landscapes or scenes related to death and mourning.

The floral motifs technique involves the fabrication of hairwork flowers by wrapping the strands around a rod, using fine wire to hold the strands in place. Variations in the sizes of the rods, the quantities and colour of hair used, and the incorporation of beads yielded a diversity of flower, leaf and tendril shapes and sizes, which could then be combined to form decorative bouquets and wreaths.