This remarkable locket features a hand-painted scene of a young woman beneath a tree writing the word "souvenir" on a white canvas. In the background a ship is sailing out to sea. The idea of the souvenir really came into being during the Victorian era, people were moving about the world with greater ease and giving and collecting mementos as they went. Although this locket features the word "souvenir", the meaning is a little different than what we typically think of when we talk about souvenirs. It's helpful to think of it in terms of its French translation, memory. This wonderful piece may have been worn as a reminder of an important person, place, a momentous day or, perhaps, as a love token.
MATERIALS: gilt metal, painting on velum, glass lenses
AGE: c. 1850
CONDITION: Good - gold casing is faded in places; red painted bordered has degraded
SIZE: 2 1/2" length including the bale, 2" diameter