Lincoln Immortelles

[L Verge]

Not sure how a family's parlor décor could handle a jar of pickled brains under a glass dome...

As for locks of hair, remember hair jewelry and hair wreaths have often been fashioned around locks of beloved dead ones. George Washington left notice to make hair rings (I think) to distribute among several of his contemporaries.

Bloodstained swatches of fabric might be a bit weird used as an immortelle also. The idea was to honor and have a visual memento of the deceased where visitors as well as family could view them. The written tributes mentioned above were usually placed into a book form that could be read if someone wanted to, but they mainly were there for show.

Speaking of the hair jewelry, I had a visitor to the museum on Wednesday tell me that he went to college with the great-great-great grandson of Gen. Hartranft. First, he was surprised that I knew who Hartranft was and that he had gone on to be governor of Pennsylvania. He did tell me something that I did not know about the General -- he was evidently a hopeless alcoholic.

Anyhow, this gentleman had visited with the Hartranft descendants and had been shown a hair brooch that supposedly had been given to Gen. Hartranft by Mary Surratt as a thank-you for the kindness that he showed to her and Anna during the "unpleasantness." Sure would love to know what happened to that brooch!