Lock of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hair
primary
Nathaniel Hawthorne
(Salem, Massachusetts, 1804 - 1864, Plymouth, New Hampshire)
compiler
Unknown
Date1915
Place MadeUnited States, North America
MediumHair; brass box with crystal top; ink on paper
Dimensions5.5 x 2 cm (2 3/16 x 13/16 in.)
ClassificationsVessels
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberU3n204.a-b
eMuseum ID727262
Previous NumberU3n204.a-c
EmbARK ObjectID24957
TMS Source ID9157
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryAuthor and social reformer Annie Adams Fields – also the widow of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s publisher, James T. Fields – presented her friend Isabella Stewart Gardner with this lock of hair in 1915. Retaining the hair of the deceased was a common memorial practice; often, they were enshrined in jewelry to adorn the clothes of the living. Isabella Stewart Gardner treasured this modern reliquary for its connection to Hawthorne, a vital figure in 19th century American literature.
MarksNotesInscribed in ink in Isabella Stewart Gardner's hand (on a note accompanying the locket [U3n204.c]): A lock of Hawthorne's / hair; gift to me by / Mrs. J. T. Fields / 1915
ProvenanceNotesGift from literary hostess, author, and social reformer Annie Fields (1834-1915) to Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1915.
Object/Provenance
