VICTORIAN MOURNING, MEMORY OBJECT, AND CRAFT
How can a lock of hair become a keepsake, a work of art, or a “secular relic”? What connects Victorian mourning jewelry to the veneration of saints’ remains? And how might making an object help us preserve the memory of someone we love? Beginning November 10, join master jeweler and art historian Karen Bachmann for a
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deep dive into the history and craft of Victorian hairwork, combining readings, lectures, and hands-on instruction to help participants create their own hairwork memory objects.Tracing connections between Catholic relic traditions and the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century practice of preserving hair from loved ones—living or deceased—we’ll examine how human remains became objects of veneration, sentiment, and remembrance, including within the culture of mourning inspired by Queen Victoria. Participants will learn classic hairwork techniques, including wire (gimp) wrapping, palette work, and sepia work, and design pieces that may also incorporate fabric or other meaningful materials to honor people or beloved pets.