VICTORIAN DECORATING WITH GUEST AUTHOR TRACY L. WARD

Victorian Hair Craft

Tracy L. Ward is the creator of the Peter Ainsley Mystery series, chronicling the adventures of a morgue surgeon in Victorian England. The third book in the series, The Dead Among Us, is set for release in May. Tracy joins us today to talk about how Victorian women decorated their homes. To learn more about Tracy and her books visit her website. 

It’s no secret the Victorians loved their homes. An English homemaker, otherwise known as “Mistress of the House”, had no shortage of choices when it came to decorating her home. Able to draw influences from a number of eras, Victorian architecture and decorations encompassed everything from Greek Revival to English Renaissance, often including hints of Asian art and even a marked fascination with Egyptian novelties. There are a number of decorating trends that give Victorians a certain amount of distinction when it comes to the character of a home.

Green Textiles

Never before in history had textile workers been able to create a true green hue with their fibers. Although used for centuries for its medicinal properties, arsenic was found to have the ability to generate a lush green colour in textile dyes. It was this discovery that spurred on the rapid production of green drapery, upholstery and fabric. Women began wearing green skirts, bonnets and gowns with marked fervor.  In fact the presence of arsenic in so many common household items has since been connected to unintentional poisonings, especially in households that displayed green wallpaper. It was the wallpaper’s dye in connection with mold and mildew that made for a deadly combination.

Knick-Knacks

Well-to-do Victorians were very “House Proud.” An urban dwelling often served a dual purpose. Firstly, as a refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life but more importantly, the Victorian home served as a symbol of status and wealth. From the moment a Victorian couple tied the knot, they were expected to begin the fast accumulation of things to display. The more knick-knacks on a mantel, the more side tables flanking the furniture meant the more wealth a couple possessed. Doilies, china vases, and gilded picture frames…oh my!

Floral Wreath made from the hair of fifteen different people
Photo Credit: Tom Cooper, more information can be found at http://www.hairworksociety.org/wreath/wreath.htm 

Macabre Wall Hangings

One of the most fascinating pieces of Victorian decorating that I have come across during my research is Victorian Hair Work. Often harvesting hair from a beloved (and deceased) relative, Victorian women could fashion a broach or jewellery piece but the most common craft the hair was used for was a wall hanging in which a household could add to overtime as more and more family members passed away. The resulting artwork was a testament to painstakingly intricate work that survives to this day, often in museums and galleries all over the world. One such piece was displayed in the home where my father grew up on Bell Island, Newfoundland, garnering many spun yarns speculating as to its origins. Given the macabre nature of these crafts, many of those stories revolve around the dead and their wandering spectres.

In Modern Times

Interior decorators have been recreating the grandeur of the Victorian era in homes for the last century, drawing inspiration from antiques and other elements of the 19^th century. Period inspired style experienced a strong resurgence in the 1980s and once again in modern day homes, though not as strongly evident as it was thirty years ago. Some modern homebuyers, however, are favouring the classic look of the two-story Victorian home, with front porches, gabled roofs and perhaps a small turret.

Even though the Victorians copied from a myriad of decorating styles, their unique take on old mainstays is what makes their time period so alluring, and it’s my guess as to why we enjoy the Victorian look even to this day.

Dead Silent

Book Two of the Peter Ainsley Mystery series

Peter Ainsley's mother, Lady Charlotte Marshall, hasn't been seen or heard from in three days. Even though Inspector Simms of Scotland Yard is 'unofficially' investigating her disappearance, Ainsley and his sister, Margaret, are loathed to reveal knowledge of their mother's affair, despite it being their best lead to her whereabouts.

When Simms brings a body to St. Thomas Hospital's morgue, Ainsley is forced to admit his double life as morgue surgeon and second heir to the Montcliff earldom. With a newfound ally in the police force, Ainsley gains access to information about his mother's disappearance and a new mystery regarding a murdered woman with childhood ties to his future sister-in-law, Evelyn Weatherall.

Scandal threatening two sides of Ainsley's family, the young surgeon uncovers an intricately woven tapestry of deceit, lust and a crime that forces him to decide whether family loyalty supersedes the letter of the law.

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CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA - GUEST AUTHOR AND CRAFTER JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN

Today we're happy to have back author and crafter Joanna Campbell Slan. Her newest series—The Jane Eyre Chronicles—begins with Death of a Schoolgirl, a mystery featuring Jane Eyre as an amateur sleuth. Death of a Schoolgirl is a Mystery Guild Featured Alternate Selection. Slan is also the author of the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series, including the Agatha-Award Finalist, Paper, Scissors, Death. Visit her at her website and see her craftwork at Pinterest. -- AP

The Forgotten Art of Hair Work Jewelry

By Joanna Campbell Slan

Poets have long described how lovers would exchange a lock of hair as an act of devotion. For centuries, admirers have clipped a “souvenir” lock of hair from the body of a famous person. Historians track preserved postmortem hair from such notables as Beethoven, Edgar Allen Poe, George Washington, and Andrew Jackson to name a few. But in the 1700s and 1800s, it wasn’t enough to tuck a lock of hair inside a handkerchief for safekeeping. Mourners longed to keep these locks of hair close to their persons, and thus mourning jewelry became fashionable. At a time when few people lived to see old age, these pieces served as a tangible reminder that love is eternal even though life is short, momento mori (“remember you must die”). 

To display these locks of hair, jewelers created special pieces. This is a photo of a brooch that I own, one inherited from my grandmother. You can see the lock of hair in the center. I do not know whose hair is displayed, only that the person was beloved.

Creative women found another way to stay close to their loved ones. Just as so many of us do handicrafts as a token of our love, these women made hair jewelry. In my latest book, Death of a Schoolgirl, the first in a new series called The Jane Eyre Chronicles, a teacher offers to weave a piece of hair jewelry to give to the family of a deceased student. She has done the same with locks of hair from her own dead brother.

Most hair-work was done on a frame, but a repurposed hat, hat box, or decanter could be used as well.  The frame required a smooth surface so the hairs wouldn’t snag and a hole in the center, of a size large enough that a finger could be inserted.

Here are pictures of what these looked like: http://www.victoriana.com/Jewelry/victorian-hair-jewelry.html

Preparation

The hair was first boiled in water with a lump of soda. After it dried, it was divided into groups of fifteen to thirty strands all of the same length. At one end of these strands, a thread and weight were tied. At the other end, the hairs were bound together with glue.

Shaping the Piece

Once the strands had been properly prepared, the weaver would find a suitable pattern. Ladies magazines such as Godey’s Lady’s Book offered these. The actual weaving took place on a frame, with the passes of strands building the designs.

Moulds offered another way to create hair jewelry. Hair would have been applied around the outside of the mould to form shapes such as acorns or tubes.

Although today’s crafter might find this handiwork unappealing, when we imagine ourselves in another era, we can begin to see the attraction of hair jewelry. In a time when movies, videos and recordings didn’t exist, and when photographs and portraits were rare, hair work offered a way to remember and cherish those who had passed over.

To see more examples or to learn more, go to:

http://www.morninggloryjewelry.com/victorian-hair-jewelry-aid-52.html

http://www.victorianhairjewelry.com/

http://leilashairmuseum.com/history.html

Thanks for joining us today, Joanna. You remind us that crafters can and do craft with any material! -- AP