Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1866-01-12
The Fashion of Red Hair.

A French writer-M. Jules Denizet--has
written an article in Paris journal under
the title Of The Revenge of the Red Head
ed" in which he discusses prevailing
continental fashion, and gives some inter-
esting information. Going back to Rome
in the time of the Caesars, he reminds his
countrymen that in those days the mad and
the bad among women We're ordered by
ne aedile--or, as NJ. Dcnizet says.the pre-
feet of police of the periodic wear red
hair. Red hair, then, was u mark of deg
radiation; bat all this is changed now. NJ.
Denizet says:
"The Romans got enormous quantities
of hair from Germany. Most OF it in the
present day comes also from Germany, as
well as Brittany and Normandy. Paris
annually exports upwards of 100000 kilo-
grams (about 200, 1000 pounds) to England
and America. A few years ago its price,
from living head, was from five to ten
francs the kilogram, according to the length
and color. Red hair, which was formerly
unsalablr, except for dyeing, is this year
at premium; but tie rage cannot last
long. Hair Of this color is generally coarse
and harsh; and taste will no doubt, soon
return to black and blonde, which are
twice as fine and three times as soft and
glossy. Red hair dries, black and blonde
thicken. The first preparation which hair
undergoes Immediately raises its price to
eighty francs the kilogram. In our time
the rehabilitation of the red haired COM
menced in the 'Jnif ETant,' in which Eu-
gene Sue depicted Mdlle. de Cordoville in
such glowing colOrs that for her charming
sake, the hitherto despiscd shade rose a
little in public opinion. How many per-
sous have we known seeking by every
means in their power to turn the hated
red into brown or chcsnut! Oils. pOmades,
brass and leaden combs We're the suppOs-
ed remedies, and, these failing, dye was
resorted TO.
"At school, the red haired boy or girl
was the butt for every joke, the scapegoat
for every mschicvOus trick and 'cscapade.
If al inquiry was made as to the perpetra-
tor of any offence ii was the rouguin,'
WHO did it, 'chnrused the boys. 1t was the
rougajne, cried the girls Children whose
heads We're dressed in red lost their pat
ronymic at school, and were simply known
as the rouqaia OF the roagn.ne. If, as was
generally the ease, trecEles were an ac-
Compartment, the victim was said to bear
the brand of Judas in his face What
wonder, then, if with this treatment the
red haired child became sullen and disa-
greeable, and in some sort merted the
reputaton given him beforehand In the
tale of The Fair One with the Golden
Hair no child could ever have imagined
the face Of the beautiful princess framed in
red locks Her hair must have been fine
threads OF real gold AS to red-haired
princess, such Il thing was never heard of!
fhe fairy tale would have lost all its inter-
est in the eyes of children had such hero
ine been possible. Cooks, even, of this col
or were looked upon With dislike. Mis-
tresses pretended that the peculiar odor of
their hair lent itself unpleasantly to the
sauces, turned the milk and spoiled the
jams
Now, all that is changed: red hair is
the moae. The young mother prays that
her coming babe, il Il girl, may have red
locks, and If it has, its fortune is made.
The red-haircd beauty is taking her re-
venge: she carries her chignon like flag,
and gathering under it, aided by fashion,
every shade of chestnut, blonde and black.
transforms them all into red. But tort
paSse, toHt tasSe; and tomorrow the mode
may change. However, although the tri-
umph of the red-haired may prove but that
i. of season-their glory but ephemeral-
still there is 10 doubt that they will never
descend to their former disgracetul posi-
tion. The prejudice CT ages having once
been removed, they have been admitted to
an equality with their more favored sisters.
But now a word of advice and warming:
let them descend q few steps from the lad
der they have climbed so triumphantly,
lest 4 speedy reaction may precipitate
them tlcreflOni.'