The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-05-20
From Household Words.
Human Hair.

;psuficiently supplied if it depended solely
on chance clippings. There must be reg,
,,lsr harvest. which can be looked forward
no at a particular time. And as there are dlt-
ra,ent markets for black tea and green tea,
for black pepper and white pepper, for
brown brandy and pale brandy-sO is there
a Echt-hair market distinct from the dark
hair market. The black hair imported INTO
Fnoland comes mostly from Brittany and
the south of France it is generally OF very
fine and silken black. The light hair comes
from Germany, where it is collected by the
AGENTS of a Dutch company, who make
early visits to various parts of the Germanlc
States. Forty years ago the fashion was
very different from that now prevailing; the
l;cht German hair was more priced than any
nfl,er and there was peculiar golden tint
bsld in such high estimation, that the deal
ers could obtain eight shillings an ounce for
euall quantities of it-nearly double the
rrice Of silver. But the black hair of France
,ou, rules the market. There is an opinion
among those who have the best right to oplne
on such subject, that the average hair OF
average English persons has deepened In tint
within the last half century. If this be so,
il is attributed to the more frequent inter-
MARRIAGES with nations nearer to the sunny
south Whether dark or light, however, the
hair which the dealer buys as marketable
come,oditv becomes to him an article of
wonderfully close scrutiny he can tell by
che smell alone the difference between Ger
man and French hair he claims the power to
distinguish English, Scotch, Irish, and
Welsh hair. one from another. The French
dealers can detect the difference between the
hair from two districts OF central France
not many miles asunder, by tokens so slight
as would battle the most learned among oul
uhvsiologists or naturallsts.
The French hair market is very remarka-
BILE. It's dealings extend to two hundred
thousand pounds weight OF hair annually.
There are wholesale firms in Paris, which
send round agents in the spring to various
Breton and other villages. These agents are
provided with ribbons, silks, laces, haber
dasherv. and cheap jewelry of various kinds
They attend fairs and merry-maklngs, ant
they buy glossy tresses, for which they pa.
either with these goods or IN money. Mr
Trollope. while travelling in Brittany, stop
ned awhile at the fair in Collene, and wa
more struck by the operations OF the halr
dealers than BY anything else which met III
notice. In various parts OF the motle
crowd there were three or tour OF thes
dealers bargaining with the girls Tor thei
flowing tresses, which were very luxurlan
and beautiful. Several girls were standln
together ready to be sheared. They hel
their caps in their hands; and their lon
hair hung down to their waist. Some
the operators were men and some wer
women: but in either case the dealer had
large basket near at hand, into which ever
successive crop of hair, tied up into WIS
bv itself. was thrown. So far as persona
beauty is concerned, the girls do not los
much by losing their hair; for 1T is the tasl
ion in that part or France to wear clos
cap, which entirely prevents any part OF II
hair from being seen, and, of course, as t(
tally conceals the want of it. The luxur
ant crop of hair, which the dealer has o
tanned for franc or two, is sorted, and
ranged, and passes from hand to hand unit
it makes its final appearance as peruke,
some other delicate delusion. The pri'
paid to these girls seems to vary from a6o,
a franc to five francs per head, (each weig
ing from three quarters OF a pound to
pound according to the quantity and bea
ty of the hair. SO much does 1t rise IN val
by the collecting, the sorting, the cleanin
and other preparatory processes, that
wholesale market price is generally fro
thirty to sixty shillings per pound. Chol