This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2001.
This two-century old lock of President George Washington's grey and light brown hair was originally obtained by Eleanor Parke Custis, Martha Washington's granddaughter by her first marriage who was adopted by George Washington and raised at Mount Vernon. It was later obtained by Colonel Levin Powell, a Revolutionary War hero who served under General Washington and remained a close friend. The lock of hair is contained in a transparent cover above an exact reproduction of a handwritten authentication dating back to 1845 from the Custis-Powell family and a statement of authentication from expert Charles Hamilton verifying the letter and tracing the Custis-Powell ownership history.