, 1870-05-22
TIE HAIR TRADE

1lnkang Merchnndisc OF she GLORY OF
~ onAn1.-Chc 7lutnbiltry o. Human
Itnir-3inuufncturc RSlondes-The
New Capillary MISUNDERSTANDING
CT aht Trade.
From the ye,e York 79naes.
The feminine LiTsute adornment Of the Pc
Rod is, to man, becoming naturally and laily
a subject moro and more complex and per-
picking. Somo years since our fai1 Pa1lsi1n
Cousins (as possibly thcv may continue to) ca
rricinusly adopted the odd fashion OF dycins
their favorite poollea, variouAly parti-colore'l.
in correspondence with the several tints of
be outdone in ingenuity by feminine France--
III might naturally be expected Of restless, as
pirihg feminine America, ignoring mere brutal
adornmcnt-our charming, original, and pro-
Gressiye counttywonen, in their Own proper
and ves!. pretty persons, during the present
year, in the luxuriant tresses (either real or
Eorrowed), triunphantly reproduce alternately
the colors Of the ScFipturnl Joseph'd cost"
or, severa1ly CD alternate days. one and ali Of
the varied colors Of the rainbow.
In generate the infinite perplsnty Of her
male acquaintance (and sometimes. il must
members OF her own se1), tho fair creature
runs the entire color-gzmut in single week;
every day therein appearing in fresh costume
and (apparentiy) fresh hair. 1t the seventh
GAS y SGApuauou-pUtSlUkE 01 cHFt-1Fy IL lUAE
be the caprice may lead her lad5alip's novelty
worn brain land certainly hair) to continue
some favorite tint for an entire Heek-or it
may 10 mouth; although il must bo owned
in some instances few and far between-a
single colos's caprice may continue even for
either blonde (aaxen or golden], auburn,
chestnut, or black: either assumed, however.
in the reverse order OF collation. to nsttte's
individual hirsute gift. Sometimes, however,
and quite unwittinEly, thanks to such rapid
and daily change, Of capillary programme. the
4ucnce OF imperfect and incomplete chemical
affinitiee. shines forth in the beautiful tresscs
with an unwe1come brilliancy and variety Of
tint ns amusing to the bcholder ~ annoying
and mortityins to the yictimized appropriation.
LII fact, 3 rudimental knowledge (ai lcasD
Of chemistry ia M absolute sl,e qua non for
any one desiring to effect {or a1ect) daily
transformation of colored t1esees; else, to her
grief and chsg1in, she may find herself, on in
tending gold Of chestnut for the day's conquer
ing tint, hopelessiy afflicted lowing to iEno-
rance Of her cosmetics or severallr succeeding
hair dree chemical constituents) with the sea-
green t1esses Of mermaid, CT (becsuse OF too
large and unwilling doee Of 1.-THE beantify-
Ing cLloH1e}" endowed, prematurefy, with the
snowy locks Of age. The rage for blonde locks,
inaugurated in literal Juror in this country
come four years einee, is, at tho present, still
among brunettes md even seul-blondes for
this Fashionable blonaizing, that, dsspairing
Of sufficient importation Of the desired
commodity (for that ut leasl two-thirlA
Of the feminine division Of the
worlds Inhabitants are brunettes is Eli accreI-
tied statlstic), our finest hair merchants haye
determined anxiously to conquer the desidera-
ITEM, and, in Rome wny+ style, or manner, le-
:,atina'e or Legitimate, manufactn1e blond
ism at will foZ the heads Of their blonde-rnal
feminine uatroEt6see,
To prominent dealer in this city be1onSs.at
rceent, hy purchase one, of the very longest
t-eescs Of human hair III the known world. Its
color, to some tastet, might t'e improved, for
It il a dirty. dingy white. It il said to have
le:oneed to one Of the feminine favotites OF
the kllan Of Tartagy, and came into the pos
session OF lis Iresent owner, t.d strange
stofv CT romantic incident, during that gen
tfeulate travels few years stIicc III the Will
est portion of aemi-civilized Southeastern Hun-
tia. Ii IL over two ynrds and quarter in
length, md Of nbout the thickness OF mans
wrist.
The fact is aseerted that since the mania,
ZONE five years since, first commenced in this
| country, never were tho Custom House re-
turns for the importation Of human hair 20
Light as in the present year. The reason for
this is not, as would at first hearing 10 Sup
/ poscd, that the American ladies' were return
| ing to their senses aud true womanhood, for
| never Was there q Sear in which a certain
| species OF false something passinE under the
name Of hair, was 60 largely either imported
[ peculiar commodity although in some casee,
l and the finest and most carefully prepared,
! closely resembling it-is not har.-no nor any
thing but vile, ravelled out. stringyiprepara-
tion OF Indian hemp, technically called jute :
and as the veritable human variety is, compar-
iLis abonlinable and ropy substitute has been.
during the past two years, introduced to con-
| siderable extent in this country, especially
Among the poorer classes. These latter, Of
courte, bring nothing. If not (apparently)
fashionable. The difference in price between
tlle two-for instance, "a switch techlically
| speaking, OF light or red jute, Of say yard in
length. and switch of human haif-orc
would he in the vicinity Of so or S75 III hno
and lu1uriant in proportiou), and the former
somewhere in the ncighboshood OF a single
a. Before disnlissing this cheap substitute,
however. in justice. mention must be made.
apart from its utter choApness and tEashinesa
10 refined mind, Of its principal objection. Ii,
many cascs the hemp has not been properly
originally cleaned and prepared: in others, it
the passage across the Atlantic, been carafnlly
watched and cared for, and the result IL, in
| many, indeed in most afi INSTANCES, either to d
greater or lefs degree, generation, or posi-.
hly but simple growth, Of a species Of extremely
disagreeablc land disgusting parasite, whose
I
aud in the fibres OF its stalks.
An instance came to the wrlter's knowledge
Of a lady who actually contracted some neeu-
liar and disagreeahle skin disease. aB well. en-.
tircly4 in the OPINION OF her physician. through
the weight OF falling m1ss Of hcmren braids
clustered upon her neck at the baao Of hel
head, and resting, naturally. upon y pores o1
some portion Of her skin. through which tht
tliseaee is supposed to have been contracted
1t will thus he seen that false hair Tor. b,
courtesy, so-called false hal1) is dangerouf
thing to trifle with and il literally i1nllspen
sable to la,ly's life, should invariably be rur
chased and worn exclusively OF the most care
fully c.eanscd and personally inspected humat
hsir,
Paris is tie hair market OF the world. Ii
that i,reprcttsible city, huge warehouses. linet
with tl,lsks lines uf<helves, tier upon tier, ami
story upen stcry. arc packed away human hai
Of every imaginable shade, texture, aut
nEsli.y Of price, frcm the silver-whise OF a.t
"a the elint;ns-gold Of e1trcn1er babyhooa
These tws' letter Varieties constitute by 70 fal
darker shades in the proportion at thirtyor
fc:ty ta finer. First, in desitsbiity, par er
et,a 1cs, are the lut-uhite t1esses which hAnE
si1ve1y ard clustering from tho age-bloaehc::
trows Of old men and women. These are
Of course. IN such marvellous demand
Greece for age, hat because Of hcf
sbeclute lack cf tirt, which OF cou1ee ma.
thus successfully borrow anr desired tut
This ellver.whlte species -and next the gray
b-ines, .hca dressed, to The hair merchant
pure, an Of s6o an ounce. Ne1t in order 0
desiratiIity, snd probably nearly equal in favor
the rcd-gold or auburn, with the pure gold ant
tla1en, rIcdoninate above their fellow tints
These three several tones Of color-woalth rang
unevenly between thirty (uever under aud Eft
stances, az bright as even the aboye-mention
cd, EGO per ounce Now mark the difference
Dark hair. even Of the very finest black 0
chestnut. never over1uns, and il 1t al, onlr it
| unusually enc qualities, $50 per pound. It
pound.
The Par;sian hair houses have agents in al
Ta1ts OF the world, choosing and buying hair
the Joint etcck OF which. when collected to
GetEer: is eeEt to Paris; there clcansed ans
rs5,eus colors. switch by switch: and anally
81 prelminaries having been completed. thes
swifchee are hotted mp scverallv, like g
many cows tails and transferred from th
shelves Of the warehouses to he6sy t.r1ed
canvas bags. in which they arc finally re-se
Coiled in its pleeeian canvas prison. the gs1
rered red-goid wealth Of historical PATRICIA
hesutr fatters, marhaP over tho ecowl
. ing lock OF the convict, or. possibl
css,ess The sdss thn to2 ssesivs sho,4 n1
locks harly brought the savorv loaf in th
; hour Of her dircst need. The converts 9
Franco furnish, III the sacrificed tresses Of he
Euns, great portion Of hez wealth. This
t1ne also, to greater or lass degree, Of a
Catholic countries. American petldlera theg
; are. also, who, over the 1ength andlorcadth q
: the Union, look up and buy the hsir tha
!, , COUNTRY people and INDECENT, tfamping beggar
can he induced to sell for cash. As d rult
. American hair is, both in color and qualt,
, tirenees and texture, considered by far II
!. most desuable. English hair is about on
par, Or nearle. With our OWL II
!. French IL usually coa1ser,. hut oftentimt
thicknr. md in some cases longer in propo