Victorian Hairwork: Histories, Techniques, and Material Practice

Some of the most intriguing items in our collection are those made from the Brontës hair. During the Victorian era hair was often weaved into jewellery for remembrance. Join us for this online event with conceptual artist and historian Donna Lowson, as she guides us through the history of Victorian hairwork and shows us the process of creating hair jewellery. There will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Donna works primarily with human hair to create intricate sculptural forms and installations using traditional and self-devised techniques of braiding, spinning, weaving, sewing and knotting. These gestures draw on Victorian mourning hairwork and other marginalised craft traditions long dismissed as ornamental or sentimental.

If the event is cancelled, we’ll contact you. We reserve the right to make changes to our programme. All information is correct at the time of booking. We kindly ask that you do not bring dogs or other pets to our in-person events unless stated otherwise (if you'd like to bring your service dog to an event, please let us know).