09/04/2026
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Did you know that in the Victorian Era (1837-1901), using hair to make art pieces was very common. Hair was often made into jewellery or used to decorate cards as keepsakes and gifts. It was also commonly used to make “fancy work,” homemade pieces to decorate the home. Hair wreaths were a common example.
The wreaths were often made as a memorial art piece. Hair was collected from family members, friends, or church members. The hair would be wrapped around wires that were bent to different shapes, like flowers or leaves. The wreaths were often shaped like horseshoes, for luck. Nearly the entire wreath would be made up of hair.
Not all hair flower wreaths are memorials, some contain the hair from an entire church, a school, family or other group. These wreaths could get quite large in size.
The hair wreath at Heritage Park Museum was made by George Little’s mother, Helen, around the year 1915. George Little was one of the first permanent settlers to Terrace. The wreath contains hair from members of Helen’s extended family. You can see the hair has been formed into flowers with large and small petals. If you look closely, you can tell that the vine and twig shapes are made from hair as well. The only flowers that are not made of hair are the white flowers in the center.
