The answer to last week’s Mystery Artifact is:
Hair Work Wreath, 1857
Human hair, silk, wire, beads. Worked by Mrs. A. Osborne, Peabody, Mass.
A popular form of fancy work, hair wreaths were crafted almost entirely of human hair from living or deceased individuals and were a means of honor and remembrance. In this wreath, Mrs. Osborne crafted the leaves and flowers by “stitching” hair with fine wire over a rod to form a series of loops. The loops were then twisted into the desired forms. The horseshoe shape was a common symbol in Victorian America for good luck. Because of the wide variety of hair and the initials along the sides, Mrs. Osborne may have used this wreath to record her family tree.