LOCK of HAIR [ 1 8 7 2 ] by Alexanna Speight

the LOCK OF HAIR [ 1 8 7 2 ] by Alexanna Speight

LACIS PUBLICATIONS Berkeley, CA 94703 USA Originally published in 1872 with the title: THE LOCK OF HAIR Its History, Ancient and Modern Natural and Artistic with the Art of WORKING IN HAIR Illustrated by Numerous Designs by Alexanna Speight London, 1872

Publisher’s Note: The text of this book is printed unabridged with the exception of : Page layout which has been modified to reflect page numbering of the plate illustrations. Correction of text references to illustrations, most of which were in error in the original edition

original title page

CONTENTS Note: Numbers in [ ] designate page numbers of this book. Other page references are from the original edition and are retained for continuity. In the original edition, plates were tipped in, without page numbers.

Part I the History of Hair 5 Part II the Art of Working In Hair 85

[] INTRODUCTION Hair was never quite taken for granted as it embellished the human body as well as the human spirit. Off the body, hair became an important element of association, being identified with friendship, joy and sorrow. With the extended forty years of mourning brought about by Queen Victoria’s grief during the latter part of the 19th century hair jewelry gained prominence as a reflection of sentiment and mourning and persistent association with sorrow. Presentation took three major forms: It was braided in elaborate and decorative open web, flat and round, forms worked on a stool, each group of working strands tensioned by connecting weights. The finished braid was generally fitted with gold fittings and made into bracelets, necklaces, watch bobs and other ornamental objects. The Art of Hair Work, Hair Braiding and Jewelry of Sentiment by Mark Campbell originally published in 1875 [Lacis edition 1994] remains the definitive resource for this technique. The other popular form was that of dimensional flowers and the memorial wreaths, typically representing entire families. Working with wire and the techniques of northern European straw work, these pieces were typically large and designed for wall display. A source for this type of work is Decorative Straw Craft by Barbara Fitch. The more popular placement of hair was in brooches and rings of increasingly larger size. Protected by glass and secured with gold mounts, the high level of precision required for this work enabled the formation of natural, recognizable forms such as flowers, feathers, trees, butterflies, etc. The most important manual for this type of work is this current book The Lock of Hair. Alexanna Speight (there remains controversy as to whether a male or female belongs to this name) had a business establishment in London, catering to English royalty at the height of the great mourning era. This manual was intended to encourage the novice to create their own hair devices and thus be insured that substituted hair was not used, which was common with the commercial hair workers. Part II of this book was published, unabridged, under the title Hair Ornaments: The Art of Working in Hair by the National Artistic Hairwork Company (Chicago) in 1887. Ladies’ Fancy Work, a resource for all variety of Victorian crafts published an extensive instructional article on this type of work in 1876 which has been reprinted under the title Hair Work & Other Ladies’ Fancy Work by Mrs. C.S. Jones & Henry T. Williams. All resources referred to are available from this publisher. LACIS Publisher [] [] []