New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-12
THE TRAFFIC IN BUMlN HAIR.

CITY FAvORITE CoLORs - COMPARATIVE
PECEs-wHERE TIE BEST HAIR COMES
TROM-AMOUNT or CAPITAL ENGAGED IN
THE BUSINESS, ETC, ETC.
The capillary attractions of the City of New
York cost on an average Of 100000
per misunderstanding. d, tho Judgment Of experts,
consumption Of between three aud four tun at an aver
ago price % 81 per Much OF this hair com
mands % FAR higher sum. viz: Tho white or syergray
Of age valued fully high As so or per ounce After
that the red hn1en IN fact any shade OF the hair
commonly dcnomiuatcd blonde. h held next In honor.
This latter estimated NJ 90 per cent moro than any OF
the shades Of brown black the Of brown
ranking in the minimum being that ia excess In the
market oycrbalAnces the demand; II being estimated
that fully twothlrs Of all the hair sold, the world
II either black the darker shades Of brown. Brown
hair may be-, therefore. considered generic both In
America aud France In own country the lighter
shades prevail also IN the northern parts OF Europe:
while In the southern portions, especially OF France Ger
many and Italy hair Of the ordinary dark brown
or chestnut The Green Isle ~ Erin abounds m red or
golden locks England IN naNtn or the very paest shade
81 brown; while Germany furnishes in the main by FAR
the largest proportion Of the medium or cinnamon shades
within the past few years SINCE the prevalence Of tho
special blonde fever rather auburn or red orc vast
81 cosmetic canning been toned into the required auburn
or downright red nts 80 much admired at The present
cuce Insh aud also Scotch hair Ito extent has
ono nm ropsidcrably I'm market value Hair OF every
description has however advanced over 400 per cent Ia
price within the last seven or eight years. and as there
l. about four times much used AZ this day In that
period and. moreover the profit made all or nm
dressed hair very great the human hair trade OF New
York. and, indeed OF tho whole world may be set down
~ an exceedingly profitable The finest hair comes
90 this country from Paris. larger proportion than Is
usually supposed is however. brought by pedders into
the city from country. principally from New England
and the West As rule this HAIR Of poor quality and
II always what "a technically called raw hair" Hair
cut from the head without previous preparation, aud,
oeutines with better instrument than an ordinary
pair % farmers dull shears This hair scs on an aver
zee at from s. to g. pound only II j. usually Of the
various shades Of brown. Way or naturally curling
white Hair among best dealers. Is never cut from
the dead, always from the lying head. Neither
Is Il ever knowingly purchased, II severed from
that Of corpsc-tho principal reason Tor
which being that 10 retains the curl wave, and in
all cases rs true color only when taken from ving roofs
The hair Of all Americans and English Is usually OF the
finest quality strand and luster That OF the Italians
aud French also or many s0ntbefner OF the greatest
length The French and Southern hair (of which latter
Imagnc Is usually OF the thlckest quality very nstrous
athough-with the Itaan-rather coarser than that OF
women are rcputcd 10 nave pccet horror, US uc 10
parting with their hair The American may be said also
,herc; bat all over Europe the masses think nothing OF
m consequently the agents OF the great Paris hair houses
irses of tints purchasabe FOR money Raw
hair from Europe PARIS comes 10 this country securely
packed IN large canvas or leather bags weighing about
100 pounds each. every O which contains the cuttings
from coo heads Of all textures and colors from the
red axcn black Of youth Each OF these bags are
so tightly packed with knOtted and twisted human hair
prove 10 tied up aud twisted together for all the world
like many horses tails done mp In y'time some long
short OF every conceivable variety OF texture and
price Til. hair Is then submitted To 30 different
processes OF cleansing aud manipulating before i ~ re-
baptized recognizable, under s now forms ana name
rs either wig" "chiguon," braid curl or
scratch" &c.
Catholic converts especially ~ Catholic countries Is the
hair Of Its This purchased IN large quantities by
throughout Europe. Aud the finest specimens, ana
greatest quantities. rule brought To Paris. are from
l.I fh.faH wen
bars shut them out from llberty-and chignons. Poor
souls while they occupied with missal and breviaIy,
upon bended knee are chanting Their msercrc haunting
butterflies upon the araway gay boulevard. or per
chance upon Broadway are iutcring the ravsl
La TACT land rather humilatDg fact II ~, Americans
dolefnlly addicted 10 the borrowing OF
foreign capillary attractions. prominent HAIR
merchant OF this city informs the writer that in
America wigs are mo r,leaiter ihiriy,elgin.tC
In England, wigs are tho exception. In reality, false
han - worn by Amtil'nns 70 'mentaDie excess put
this hisue ~ Unhealthy many cases ones real
hair being sold by French woman solely In order, IL
would seem, that she might appropriate that Of some
body else Spite OF AL this Increase of trade that OF mo
harcs-c this present stage Is not that Of specially
lucrative Hair beng now bought almost by the en-
tire head II were, and saving s needed manipulation
former times was, In most cases. daya head Of hair
purchased, light profit thereafter accrues "
the formerly bepatronized artist
As TO quantity aud number Of these heads OF hair
sold In the city, look at the perambuant heads any day
on Broadway. Compare statistics. legitimate. of the nu-
merous metropolitan mdrchaidS deschereiI with the num-
Der human animalcules daily floating along the upper
current any fashionable thOr0ugnTes, and one Is
forced 10 the nndeniabe conviction that mol one M IRE
OF the deliberately bcrzzed curled, plated or waved
heads Of HAIR around genuine. or In the exact condition
quantity received by the owner from her Maker but
that at least curl every Ave OF tho bewlderng
around you be IL Of golden, naxoi chestnut or
(prO tenn stylish auburn tnt grew on the graceful era
mum to which (securcd by good stout harp) IL so
ravshngy adhercs; not one ~ three OF the lustrous
brads although coiled In arstiealy win the central
mass AZ be deity neutrality-suspicious. throfro, ever
was birthrght of the head which wears H. ana, nnay,
not one entire ehGnoa cnrs brnlds ana alD % se, OF
the marvellous surrounding you II appended 10 s
owners pate IN aud won't come OIL on retirement
by tho removal OF few attached harpinS, 10
decorate the ornamental carving Of her mir
rOr during the ntIll WAtches Of The might