Object details

Accession number

U3n204.a-b

Creators

• Nathaniel Hawthorne (Salem, Massachusetts, 1804 - 1864, Plymouth, New Hampshire) - primary
• Unknown - compiler

Full title

Lock of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hair in a Box with a Note

Creation Date

1915

Object Case

Okakura Case

Provenance

Gift from literary hostess, author, and social reformer Annie Fields (1834-1915) to Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1915.

Marks

Inscribed 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

Dimensions

5.5 x 2 cm (2 3/16 x 13/16 in.)

Display Media

Hair; brass box with crystal top; ink on paper

Web Commentary

Author 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.

Permanent Gallery Location

Blue Room

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