Rare George Washington Lock of Hair With Authentication by Charles Hamilton

Lock of fifteen strands of hair from the head of President George Washington. Includes two letters of certification from noted handwriting and colletibles expert, Charles Hamilton.  A rare and beautiful display that will enrich any collection. 

Hamilton writes that the original letter and envelope (a photocopy of which is included with the documentation) in which this hair was obtained,  was "written about 1845 and identifying the owners as Mrs. Custis Powell and Col. Levein Powell (d. 1810), close friend of Washington, is indeed the hair of our founding father and was the Custis-Powell family that this lock of hair was obtained from."  Hamilton's research  states the first owner of this hair was probably Eleanor Parks Custis, the granddaughter of Martha Washington by her first marriage. Eleanor was adopted by George Washington and was raised at Mount Vernon. A later owner, Colonel Levin Powell was an intimate friend of Washington and a Revolutionary war hero. When Colonel Powell ran for congress, in which he was successful, Washington rode ten miles on his old iron-gray charer to cast a vote for his friend at the county pole."

The hair, along with three descriptive bronze plaques and a portrait of George Washington, have been handsomely matted and framed along with the lock of Washington's hair. Also included with the frame, the owner of this piece recognizing the importance of keeping the chain of custody clear, literally attended the transfer of the hair into the framed display by the framer, and took seven pictures of the transfer process. 

Included with the display is:

1. The 15 strands of George Washington's hair

2. Certification letter, dated August 24, 1992 from Charles Hamilton

3. An earlier letter from Charles Hamilton

4. Seven photos of the transfer to frame process

5. Portrait print of George Washington

From the Dan Hansen Collection