George Washington preferred to have his own hair powdered and dressed in a tightly braided queue, a style favored by military officers. Once the hair was in a queue, it was often wound with a black ribbon, and for dress occasions, encased in a black silk bag. Though yards of hair ribbon and hair bags were routine purchases for Washington, such common articles of dress rarely survive today. These fragments, carefully preserved by relatives of Martha Washington, may represent a piece of Washington's hair ribbon, linen lining from his hair bag, and a lock of his hair.

See also W-2976.