Reviving the Forgotten Art of Hairwork - Why I Dedicated My Work to an Almost Lost Craft

For a long time, I wondered why such a fascinating and meaningful craft as hairwork had almost entirely disappeared.

In the 19th century, hair was transformed into flowers, landscapes, jewelry, and symbolic compositions. Each piece bore witness to exceptional technical mastery, but also to a profoundly human story.

Palette work frame from the 19th century. Personal collection of Jennifer Vaillant

Through my research in archives and patient experimentation, I learned to rediscover these forgotten techniques, to understand the methods of the past, and then to reinterpret them in my own work.

This is how Maison Vaillant was born: from the desire not only to preserve this forgotten craft, but to allow it to evolve through contemporary creations.

Today, I create contemporary pieces and custom commissions using these historical techniques, with the conviction that a craft only truly disappears when no one practices it anymore.

Through this blog, I will share my work, my research, my discoveries, and the behind-the-scenes stories of this almost forgotten craft.

I am delighted to begin this new adventure on this blog and to connect with everyone interested in heritage, crafts, memory, grief, and the passing on of traditions.

And If these articles encourage even one person to discover the forgotten art of hairwork, then they will already have fulfilled their purpose.

— Jennifer Vaillant

Founder of Maison Vaillant

Maison Vaillant palette work

Maison Vaillant palette work