Museum Collections

According to a note with the brooch, the initials are those of Henry Henricks (1804-1861) or his wife Harriet Tobias (1812-1874). Their marriage united two prominent Jewish families in New York. While hair jewelry was associated with death and mourning in the 18th century, in the 19th century it enjoyed heightened popularity and was considered an indispensable fashion accessory for women by midcentury. Because hair jewelry was not isolated to the sphere of mourning in the 19th century, dating this piece is more difficult. Wives often made or commissioned hairwork pieces crafted from their hair to give as love tokens to their husbands. The size and style of this piece, however, suggests it was worn by a woman. Most likely Harriet had it made for herself from her husband's hair. Despite hair jewelry's place in popular fashion in the 19th century, such objects still had associations with mourning. According to Cynthia Amnéus, a white background, as seen in this brooch, was to used when honoring the departed in later stages of mourning as opposed to black enamel, which was used when the piece was created shortly after an individual's death. In some cases the hair of the deceased was intertwined with that of a loved one left behind. Perhaps Harriet had this piece made with her hair and that of her husband's, which might explain the descendant's confusion over whose hair was used in crafting this piece.