Object details
Accession number
M27e57
Primary Creator
Italian, Venice
Full title
Locket with Lock of Robert Browning's Hair
Creation Date
1889
Object Case
Contemporary Authors Case
Provenance
Gift from Katherine de Kay Bronson (1834-1901), American expatriate and artists' patron, to Isabella Stewart Gardner on 3 January 1890.
Marks
Inscribed along the rim: Robert Browning. Asolo October 1889.
Dimensions
1.5 x 1.5 cm (9/16 x 9/16 in.)
Display Media
Gold and moonstone locket holding human hair
Web Commentary
In addition to collecting manuscripts and books belonging to favorite writers, Isabella Stewart Gardner acquired other evocative mementos. The inscriptions upon the locket indicate that she designed it to hold the poet’s hair. As an avid reader of contemporary poetry, Gardner admired Browning’s work and displayed this keepsake in the Long Gallery alongside other objects associated with major British authors.
Permanent Gallery Location
Long Gallery
Rights and reproductions
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