Mourning the Victorian Way

This simple, braided bracelet holds a special meaning. If you look closely, you’ll see that the braid is actually made of human hair. Although not widely practiced today, collecting a lock of hair from a deceased loved one to incorporate into a piece of jewelry was quite common in the Victorian era. According to author Allison Meier “There was also a hair jewelry industry that emerged with workshops and retailers to support this fashion of mourning. In New York City, many were located on Broadway alongside other popular stores”.

This example comes from Brooklynites Isaac and Amy Williams. Isaac was a Welsh immigrant who worked as a baker and later as a successful flour merchant. The Williams sadly lost three of their nine children, and although we don’t know who this hair belongs to it’s a beautiful example of a mourning tradition that keeps loved ones close even after they’re gone.

Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We look forward to inviting you to CBH in the future to research in our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. In the meantime, please visit our resources page to search our collections. Questions? Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.