Mourning Brooch

By the 19th century, acts of mourning and commemoration had developed into a complex set of practices due to the high mortality rate. Death was a persistent presence in the lives of early Americans, and one way they coped was to memorialize loved ones by wearing mourning jewelry. Rings, brooches, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets were among the most popular forms of jewelry and would often incorporate the hair of the deceased into their designs. A lock of hair might be contained within a locket, or it would be intricately woven to create the decorative form of earrings or a brooch. The use of hair in mourning jewelry was popularized by Queen Victoria during her deep sorrow after the death of her husband Prince Albert in 1861. Americans especially embraced this practice during the Civil War, when soldiers would leave a lock of hair with loved ones in case they died during battle.