George Washington's Hair and Funerary Case Shavings

Strands of hair and pieces from the funerary case of George Washington, the founding father and first President of the United States, are showcased in this frame. The strands were obtained from a larger lock of the former President's hair given to a Thomas Farmer in 1845 by a woman employed to braid the hair of President's Washington and Andrew Jackson into a piece of mourning jewelry. The fragments from the outer red cedar case that housed Washington's casket in 1799 were part of a larger piece originally given to Congressman Timothy Hedges in 1831. The strands and fragments are displayed along with a reproduction of the famed full-length portrait painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796, known as the Lansdowne Portrait, currently housed in the National Portrait Gallery, along with a reproduction of Washington's signature. Such historical artifacts from our nation's first President seldom find their way on the market, and are coveted by museums and private collectors of Americana. 

These relics are accompanied by a copy of a letter from Mrs. Paul Hedges, the wife of a descendant of Timothy Hedges, tracing the provenance of the relic, and a certificate of authenticity by memorabilia expert Ryan T. Mack.

Frame: 22" wide x 18" high