Masticated Work (Hairwork)

Language: English
Contributors: Whitney White-Ruhland

Description

Masticated work, sometimes called cut work or sepia work, is a hairwork technique in which hair is finely chopped or ground into a powder, mixed with glue or lacquer, then used to “paint” miniature scenes, often on porcelain or ivory plaques. This particular form of hairwork predated the more well-known forms of hairwork associated with the Victorian Era (see: table work, gimp work, palette work) and was most popular in late 18th-century England. Motifs were often explicitly related to death and mourning, featuring cemetery scenes, gravestones, and, most often, the “Tree of Life.” In some cases, the resulting product could be mistaken for a normal sepia painting, but it was also common to use the chopped hair to give trees and plants a distinctive, fuzzy texture.

Read more

Luthi, Ann Louis. Sentimental Jewelry. Oxford: Shire Publications Ltd, 1998.

Whitenight, John. Under Glass: A Victorian Obsession. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2013.

Date of entry: September 16, 2026
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