Hair locket, possibly containing the hair of ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884), set in gilt frame and housed in chamois leather pouch.

Plaited hair in small gold metal flower engraved frame fixed onto an oyster silk backing and set within a larger oval gold frame studded with seed pearls (some missing) backed with pale turquoise velvet, with decorative hanging ring at the upper edge.

Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest

The small locket in the frame possibly contains the hair of Marie Taglioini. It is part of a unique collection of memorabilia and personal effects which evoke the legendary ballerina Marie Taglioni. Among it was jewellery both personal and stage, dating from all periods of her career. The frame is housed in a chamois leather pouch (possibly not original).
A collection of Taglioni memorabilia was amassed by Margaret Rolfe, the granddaughter of Taglioni's closest friend in London, Mrs Boggs Rolfe; she attended Taglioni's dancing classes and received many gifts of Taglioni memorabilia, both from Taglioni herself and from her grandmother. She kept these, with a series of related notes, in various boxes and annotated envelopes (filed separately). These she passed to Cyril Beaumont, probably for the London Archives of the Dance (a number of the objects were referred to in "The London Archives of the Dance and some of its Treasures" by Cyril Beaumont, Ballet Annual, first issue, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1947, p110); the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection, including the Taglioni memorabilia, was stored with Cyril Beaumont, where it became inextricably mixed with his own collection and came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.

S.815-2001