Locks of Hair -- Romantic or Creepy?

[Daisy Buchanan]

I have never seen anything like this. The rings certainly are beautiful, but I must admit, they do creep me out a bit. The sentiment involved in making such an item is quite touching. But, I just don't think it's something I'd actually wear. It'd be a nice keep-sake. An un-rivaled item from a love lost. But, I think if I had such an item, I'd keep it for display. I just don't think I could wear it.
It certainly is a sentimental, irreplaceable token of love and affection. Such tokens are few and far between. It seems that sentiments ran a lot higher back in earlier times. Beautiful rings though, would never have thought of turning a lock of hair into something so creative and beautiful. Now that I think more about it, it seems to make the idea of keeping a lock of someone's hair a little more tasteful.

 

[carebear]

I'd prefer a less corporeal token I think, though I wouldn't refuse one if offered it.

A scarf or something similar to tie on my armor is fine...

 

[Hemingway Jones]

.

If I had a lock of my beloved's hair, I would place it into the case of my pocketwatch with a little photo of her. I think it is overwhelmingly romantic and sweet.

The watch chains and rings are amazing.

Reading some of your posts, Alexander Pope comes to mind.

 

[Samsa]

Romantic. I believe Byron wrote a short poem on the subject, after he received a lock of hair from a young woman.

 

[MissQueenie]

Verses

Yes, here's the verses from Byron's "To A Lady Who Presented to the Author a Lock of Hair Braided with His Own, And Appointed at a Night In December to Meet Him In The Garden" (how's that for a title?!):

These locks, which fondly thus entwine,
In firmer chains our hearts confine,
Than all th’ unmeaning protestations
Which swell with nonsense, love orations.
Our love is fix’d, I think we’ve proved it;
Nor time, nor place, nor art have mov’d it;
Then wherefore should we sigh and whine,
With groundless jealousy repine;
With silly whims, and fancies frantic,
Merely to make our love romantic?
Why should you weep, like Lydia Languish,
And fret with self-created anguish?
Or doom the lover you have chosen,
On winter to nights to sigh half frozen;
In leafless shades, to sue for pardon,
Only because the scene’s a garden?
For gardens seem, by one consent,
(Since Shakespeare set the precedent;
Since Juliet first declar’d her passion)
To form the place of assignation.
Oh! would some modern muse inspire,
And set her by a sea-coal fire;
Or had the bard at Christmas written,
And laid the scene of love in Britain;
He surely, in commiseration,
Had chang’d the place of declaration.
In Italy, I’ve no objection,
Warm nights are proper for reflection;
But here our climate is so rigid,
That love itself, is rather frigid:
Think on our chilly situation,
And curb this rage for imitation.
Then let us meet, as oft we’ve done,
Beneath the influence of the sun;
Or, if at midnight I must meet you,
Within your mansion let me greet you:
There, we can love for hours together,
Much better, in such snowy weather,
Than plac’d in all th’ Arcadian groves,
That ever witness’d rural loves;
Then, if my passion fail to please,
Next night I’ll be content to freeze;
No more I’ll give a loose to laughter,
But curse my fate, for ever after.

Sir Walter Scott, too wrote lines on the subject in "To a Lock of Hair":

THY hue, dear pledge, is pure and bright
As in that well-remember'd night
When first thy mystic braid was wove,
And first my Agnes whisper'd love.

Since then how often hast thou prest
The torrid zone of this wild breast,
Whose wrath and hate have sworn to dwell
With the first sin that peopled hell;
A breast whose blood's a troubled ocean,
Each throb the earthquake's wild commotion!
Oh if such clime thou canst endure
Yet keep thy hue unstain'd and pure,
What conquest o'er each erring thought
Of that fierce realm had Agnes wrought!
I had not wander'd far and wide 15
With such an angel for my guide;
Nor heaven nor earth could then reprove me
If she had lived, and lived to love me.

Not then this world's wild joys had been
To me one savage hunting scene,
My sole delight the headlong race
And frantic hurry of the chase;
To start, pursue, and bring to bay,
Rush in, drag down, and rend my prey,
Then—from the carcass turn away!
Mine ireful mood had sweetness tamed,
And soothed each wound which pride inflamed:—
Yes, God and man might now approve me
If thou hadst lived, and lived to love me!

 

[Brooksie]

When I chopped off my hair earlier this year, I kept it in a box that I keep on a shelf in my bedroom.

I never had a hair cut until I was 11 years old, my hair was down to my knees at that time, I got it cut off right about shoulder length. I am now 38 and I saved my hair till just a few years ago, I figured it was time to let it go. I also had my grandma's hair that had been saved in a steamer trunk, her hair was almost down to her waist when she had it cut and she finally had it cut in the 1920's when she was in her 20's and it was cut into a flapper bob, similar to the hair cut I currently have. After I had been through a few moves I was not able to keep the steamer trunk (which belonged to my grandpa) any longer so back to Mom it went with grandma's hair (in a silk pillow case) still in it.

I have seen hair jewlery before, My ex-husbands great aunt passed away several years ago and among her belongings was some hair jewlery (a necklace and a watch chain) and there was also a black victorian dress, I had never seen anything like these things (up close like that) in my entire life. Since then I have seen Pictures (hanging up on walls) with designs made of hair in historic mansions and such.

As far as if it is creepy or romantic-I would have to say that it is just very interesting, a part of our history.

Brooksie

 

[Samsa]

Thanks, MissQueenie, you saved me the trouble of dusting off my copy of Byron's collected works and posting that poem.

 

[John in Covina]

Do the voodoo, that you do so well!

Perhaps if your were worried about VOODOO, JUU JUU, SANTORINI, and zombies maybe it would seem creepy.

Anybody see "The Serpent and the Rainbow" lately?

A booga, booga, .. a booga, booga, booga!

 

[Sunny]

*waves*

Count me in as one of the Civil War ladies. I've played around with hairwork, although just doing a simple basketweave effect with my own hair. Many of those super-fancy scrolls and trees, as well as the watch chains, bracelets, and earrings, were done by professionals. Hair jewelry was not primarily a home craft. I've seen advertisements in Godey's with pictures of the designs people could have done. Original hair jewelry is VERY expensive. The brooches are a lot more enduring, since they're completely enclosed. I had an event last weekend, and one lady's booth was entirely antique jewelry. She had several brooches with hair set in them.

The whole idea of hair-as-a-remembrance is related to the post-mortem photography thread. (There was a lengthy discussion on that on a Civil War forum a couple months ago, covering many of the same issues and ideas as you have, dear FL-ers.) Hair work was most popular before photography came about in the 1840s. I know it weirds out many of us. But for people then, a lock of hair was literally the only tangible way to remember a loved one. I've been reenacting for nearly 10 years, and I still can't fully comprehend the importance of that memento to a person who otherwise had only memories.

I saw once an antique coffin quilt. A mid-19th century woman had made a quilt with a plain white front and appliqued brown coffins around the edge of it. Each coffin applique had the name of a family member embroidered on it. If I recall correctly, the "burial plot" in the center of the quilt had an appliqued fence around it. When a family member died, the woman would move that person's "coffin" into the burial plot in the center. I believe she added details of dates and places, too.

I'm not easily shocked, but this seemed incredibly macabre to me - until the lady who now owns the quilt explained. The woman was creating her own tangible reminder of these dear relatives. Many of the graves were in different places. It can be terribly hard to leave behind a grave, particularly that of a child. She was likely a relatively poor woman (not dirt poor, or she wouldn't have had time for quilting) and may have had no other keepsakes. Now it's not quite so strange, but touching and very sad. I can imagine her touching the quilt-coffin of a dead child and experiencing the memories.

We've become so digital and virtual that we underestimate the power of the tangible and concrete.

 

[Brooksie]

I just dont' get wierded out easily about death, because we are all going to die one day.

Brooksie

 

[Nashoba]

I've seen this before. Personally, I don't know how I feel about it. It's interesting but at the same time it's kind of ewwwww. When I chopped off my hair earlier this year, I kept it in a box that I keep on a shelf in my bedroom. Doubt I would ever give it to anybody though. In southern Black culture, one would NEVER give their hair to another person. In fact, after a hair cut, even at the barber's, people would take their hair and burn it. All having to do with Roots (Black American folk magic, mojo, hoodoo, etc.) the belief that someone could use your hair in a spell against you.

It's the same in many Native American Tribes. Mine in particular. Hair was seen as a source of power, only cut short to indicate mourning which for us typically lasts a year. (which is still really only when I cut any significant length to my hair. I keep it in layers but it's still about halfway down my back). The last time I really cut my hair was last October when my father in law died. Many times the cut hair is used for various things. We had a friend who had waist length hair and when she joined the army she cut it to her chin. She used her cut locks and abalone shells to make a kind of tie with red white and blue ribbons. She gave them to the vetrans present at her giveaway special at the last powwow she went to before she left. It's a symbol of respect and honor for those who have gone before her. We still have the one that she gave to my husband, right now it's hanging from our cradleboard. It might sound strange to some but it made perfect sense to us. I guess it's the same way with the hair jewelry. What seems strange and out of place to us was perfectly normal back then. I'm personally fascinated by them. I've seen some incredibly beautiful weavings of mourning jewelry. I think it was yet another way for them to help bring closure while in mourning.

 

[mysterygal]

I think giving a lock of hair to your lover is incredibly romantic, but I still don't know what to think of the braided hair jewelry still...I like things in their natural form. I would think it very sweet if I got a lock of hair myself, but I tend to respond better to something along the lines of what I love , say, the fact I absolutely love butterflies, if my lover were to find a necklace or a ring with one, no matter how cheap or expensive, it would be my greatest treasure.

 

[Twitch]

Wonder what a bonifide lock of Hitler's hair would be worth these days?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Wonder what a bona fide lock of Hitler's hair would be worth these days?

To me, it would be worth a lit match.

.

 

[mysterygal]

To me, it would be worth a lit match.

.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[jamespowers]

I just noticed this thread. Interesting too since I received a keepsake book for my son that included a space for "first lock of hair." In that case, I think it more reminiscent. It also gives them a baseline if they become gray I suppose.

Regards,

J

 

[katiemakeup]

There is a creepiness factor, yes- mainly because it's not common to us anymore... but I kinda dig the idea- the idea that you were so in love or loved someone so much (or respected) to the point of worship, that you couldn't fathom the thought of letting go. You need something to hang onto- something personal and intimate. This goes beyond desire and reasonable thinking. Bizarre, macabre, disturbing- these things can be beautiful if you are sensitive to it.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

And they're good for cloning!

.

 

[John in Covina]

There is a creepiness factor, yes- mainly because it's not common to us anymore... but I kinda dig the idea- the idea that you were so in love or loved someone so much (or respected) to the point of worship, that you couldn't fathom the thought of letting go. You need something to hang onto- something personal and intimate. This goes beyond desire and reasonable thinking. Bizarre, macabre, disturbing- these things can be beautiful if you are sensitive to it.

***********
Makes me think of people that have their former pets stuffed.

 

[jamespowers]

***********
Makes me think of people that have their former pets stuffed.

Trigger anyone?

Regards,

J