Smyrna times., 1868-11-04
.MlSceIIUH eOMS.
THE TRADE IN HUMAN HAIR.

A singular cargo was recently reported as
having arrived at Havre. The French ship
PrOphete, from Vera Cruz, it was said, came
there laden entirely with human hair. The
hair in question was almost all black, aud was
said to consist chiefly of the scalps of people
of native Mexican tribes. The account given
of it was, that when the French army was in
Mexico many of the natives fled before them
in terror first hiding, in caves and in the woods
the bones of their ancestors and the trophies
they had worn in war. Among the latter,
none are more sacred than the scalps of their
enemies with the long hair attached; and some
smart French spectators, by the aid of little
bribery, contrived to discover the place where
these deposits were concealed The result was
an expectation OF hair to France which is
expected at once to cause fall in the price
of false hair in the great French marts Of
Brittany, Normandy and Auvergne. The
announcement of this terrible report of the
arrival Of hair thus procured, startled the
fashionable hairdressers, and shocked the fair
bellies who read it. A little reflection, how
ever convinced them that probably there is
not sufficient human hair in all Mexico to com
pose full ships cargo, and that such precious
freight could never really have arrived. On
| examination it was found that South Ameri
can ship had arrived at Havre with consign-
ment of hides and horse hair. The latter,
done up in bales, had been mistaken for Mex
lean hair.
The supply of human hair is very limited,
and the demand for it is becoming excessive.
In the present rigors of fashion large pro-
portion of the women wear false hair, either in
the shape of luxuriant locks, which the rich
only can command, or in frizettes, or in the
foundations of chignons. The hair growth Of
the human race is, Of course, only a limited
though steady quantity. 1t cannot be materi-
ally stimulated by art The chief sources oi
supply are France, Germany, Italy and Hol
land In France and Germany the trade has
been established for centuries. Hair is there
grown for the market in exactly the same man
, ner as fleece is grown with US. Dealers &c
round periodically to purchase the hair crop o.
whole districts. In Normandy, at the fairs, i
. is q curious sight to see number of damssl
i standing in a row, waiting for the dealer to es
! innate the value of their crops. He examine,
the hair closely as flows freely over the shoul
ders of the peasant girls, and fixes his prict
I according to the length, fneness and color
The bargain once made, the locks are shorn off
2 and the girl then displays instead the quain
cap of her country. French hair is very fine
= and the dark brown and lustrous black which
q are found in that country, are quite valuable
!, The golden hair, which has been in such grea
! demand comes wholly from Holland and Ger
J, many.
; Year by year, fashion has been demanding
e an increased quantity OF hair, and it has nov
!, become so expensive, that only the wealth.
: can obtain it. The substitutes are compose
n of various articles, sleeps wool having
!. been largely used for frizettes and the CHG
I, non, which has usually been made of the wea
u er's iown hair, combed over a support,
x now frequently made of prepared silk, which
3. when seen under net, cannot always be- distiL
n guished from natural hair. True golden hal
as Of great length will command any sum the OWL
40 er likes to put upon it. Perfectly white hair
nd also of great value. Locks of this nature hay
81 been sold as high as $l25. Convent hair-th
e, kind which has formed such large share I
re- the Italian and Spanish supply-is coming il
i1 to market in England. The hair of fema
,c- convicts and paupers in Great Britain go
~ Y, into the general stock. The lady who buys
g coil of hair to exc out her own little thinks
no the various sources from which it may haV
,SSrr come Not only the nun, the French or Ge
e. man peasant, or the female outcast may hav
oe ne contributed to heighten her charms, but q
n, punder of the church-yard, and the loose ha
ssrs removed by the comb, and picked out of Il
Se ss dust heaps OF Paris, may minge with h
a. tresses. It is said that the artificial metho
it IL, of hair dressing prevalent a century ago W
lsli soon become fashionable. Photographic pc
not traits of them are exhibited and inflated
iol treme hight in the toilette being the princiE
snt thing aimed atone of the most elabora
ress '%s closely resembling pineapple in shape.
or cieties ofhair- -dressers meet weekly in Lond