Necklace
c 1855
Locket of furled hair under glass on human hair chain. Hair jewelry was fashionable in the mid-1800s. The hair may have been from a deceased relative, or given by a friend or lover as a memento. Ladies often wove the hair as a hobby or purchased the jewelry from a professional hair weaver. Although none of the hair or jewelry is associated with the Lincolns, the styles would have been familiar to Mary Lincoln.
Brass, glass, hair. H 4.2, W 3.5, D .2 cm; locket on chain. Dia 44 cm
Lincoln Home National Historic Site, LIHO 716