Hair Wreath with Key and Pattern

Artist/Maker
Fries, Lisetta Vogler
Place Made
Salem North Carolina United States of America
Date Made
1863
Medium
hair –ink on paper
Dimensions
LOA 11 1/2; WOA 10
Accession Number
361
Description
The wreath includes hair from Francis Fries, his wife Lisetta, their children, Frances’s parents and his siblings. Hair wreaths were often made as memorials after someone had died. It is likely that Lisetta Fries made this hair wreath in her husband Frances’s memory after his death in 1863. The handwriting identifying the hair closely matches the handwriting in a ledger of household expenses kept by Lisetta. The pattern and key on the back of this hair wreath identifies the family members from whom the hair for the wreath was taken.
History
RELATED NAME: Fries family
Artist Biography
ARTIST BIO: Lisetta Maria Fries, m.n. Vogler was born on March 3, 1820 in Salem, North Carolina to John Vogler and Christina, m.n. Spach. She married Francis Fries on May 24, 1838. She passed away on October 23, 1903 in Salem, North Carolina.
Credit Line
Gift of the children of Mrs. James A. Gray