The Trend Curve™

The international authority on color and design trends in home furnishings

  • Home
  • TTC Blog
  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Consulting
    • About Michelle Lamb
    • The Trend Curve Story
    • The Trend Curve Team
    • Life of a Trend
  • Contact
  • Members (now open)
    • *Member Homepage*
    • Member-Only Posts
    • The Trend Curve for Members
    • Trend Flash™
You are here: Home / Dallas Market Center / Hair-Looms

Hair-Looms

December 29, 2015 By Janice Carlson -

Mourning_brooch_containing_the_hair_of_a_deceased_relative._Wellcome_L0036393

Photo courtesy of Wellcome Images, U.K.

It’s gone today and hair tomorrow with a Halloween trend that features a centuries-old creepy-keepsake tradition. The ghoulish family photos we are already poised to see for Halloween 2017 will surely be followed by some textural hair-art creations that consist of or have the appearance of human hair.

Seasons Direct

Seasons Direct

Keeping locks of hair from deceased loved ones dates back to at least the 14th century A.D., and, if those tresses were properly treated for preservation back then, they could still be in existence today! But it was Queen Victoria who made the practice of creating “hair-looms” truly popular in both Europe and America. With the death of the Queen’s beloved husband, Prince Albert in 1861, this expression of mourning became codified, and human hair turned up in bereavement jewelry, picture frames, bell jars, shadow boxes, and other forms of décor. Hair was twisted around wire to form mourning wreaths. It could even be pounded into powder and mixed with distilled water to make paint or sepia with which memorial messages, including the dates of birth and death and words like Beloved Husband or Treasured Brother, could be printed.

Season's Direct

Season’s Direct

Americans of that era fashioned deceased loved one’s hair into pictures of flowers and foliage, but the English and Europeans expanded the image choices to willow trees (symbolizing mourning), sun rays (equating resurrection), rivers (depicting the separation of the shores of the living and the dead) and a dog lying next to a tombstone, which symbolized loyalty to the deceased. Frames for these sentimental works of hair art were invariably oval shaped.

These very personal tributes to the dead continued to be produced through the heavy-loss period of World War I and the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. But, once the population became relatively healthy and the world became peaceful again, women turned away from the maudlin accessories of grief to usher in rising hemlines, flapper haircuts and marches for the right to vote. The 59-year era of mourning had officially ended.

Filed Under: Dallas Market Center, Trend   Tagged With: DMC, Halloween, Key Items, Texture

Recent Posts

  • Paola Lenti + Campana Brothers = Sustainability With Artistry
  • Color Stories at KBIS
  • Fourth of July Influences on Décor and Food
  • Color Trends from Guimarães Home Fashion Week 2022
  • Trending at Maison & Objet: Valets

Posts by Category

Post Tags

Ambiente Americasmart Animal Skin Asian Style Black and White Ceramic Chelsea Flower Show Christmas Color Copper COVID-19 Design Details & Embellishments DMC Dogs Florals Functionality Geometrics Halloween Harvest High Point Furniture Market Key Items Kids Licensing Lighting Maison & Objet Marble Metals and Metallics Mixed Media Paper Pattern Shape Showtime Spring/Summer Sustainability Tabletop Textiles Texture Thanksgiving Toy Fair Transparency Trendcurveteam Valentine's Day White Wood Trends

Site Menu

  • Home
  • TTC Blog
  • Exclusive Content
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Sign Up for Email Updates

  • Hidden

Connect With Us!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Contact Us

The Trend Curve™
16 Penumbra
Lake Forest, CA 92630

Phone: 949-662-1515
Fax: 952-893-1264
Contact us here

Copyright © 2023 · The Trend Curve™ · Trend Staff: Log in