, 1884-04-13
AN HUMBLE BEGINNING
Origin and Growth of the Popular
"'Manicure" Business
A Wide-AwnIte Yankee Woman Inn
proves an Accidental Opportunity
--.Fortune from tho Tide
Taken nt the Flood.


t-H- II. A" in Chicago Tribune-l
Ten years ago the care and treatment Of
the fnger-nails was an unheard-of business.
Its beginning WAS of tho humbiest de-
scriptiou, as l shall relate later on. l
have taken pains TO ascertain to what ex-
toni this profession as 1t is now called, has
grown, and am informed that in every city
OF the United States Of any Importance, and
In many OF the smaller towns, there are
from one TO twenty manicures, and that in
New York, Boston and Philadelphia they
nrc not to be numbered by the score but by
the hundred.
CAUGHT An IDEA.
Loss than ten years ago there happened to
be in New York a certain chiropodist who
was occasionally assisted In the treatment of
his lady customers by his wife. Fortunately
for all parties concerned, this wife was an
enterprising American woman and a typical
eastern girl 1t was her habit when the hus
band was engaged at his office and n call
came for the doctor to attend a patient at
his or her residence, when the ~ratient was a
lady, for the vito to attend her. Ono day
she went to a well-known fashionable woman
in New York city, and, after attending to
her duties, was about to leave when the lady.
who had recently returned from Europe,
said TO her; Il suppose, OF course, you take
care OF the fingers as wellT'
Our American had never heard Of any par
ticular care of the fingers, but, true IN her
blood, did not propose to be faxed by a little
trihe OF this kind, and answered, HOh, GER
tainly," having no idea what was to como
next. Tho lady then said: Have you your
instruments with your to which the Yankee
replied no, she had not, but would make an
engagement IL the lady wished and bring her
them. Accordingly it was arranged that she
should come the following Thursday, and
that she should give the client a treatment
for her fingers, When she returned to her
partner in the pedicure business she informed
him OF the agreement she had made, and they
both began TO consult various works on the
Treatment Of the feet in the vain hope that
they would find something also regarding the
hands As neither of them spoke French
Tor It would have been very easy to have
found something on this subject in that
language-they were kept in a state OF ignor-
ance, and even had no idea that the word
manicure applied to a doctor for the hands.
ETTENa H MATERIAL
The wife. however, recollected tfat she
Ind seen In the pharmacy showcases certain
little boxes with tools therein which were
called "Nail-cases" for tho identifying Of the
banda She accordingly purchased one OF
these boxes mt n drug store, and upon open
Ing the various little pots, found that one
contained n powder, another u sort OF red
paste, and there WINS a chamois pad, or pol.
isher, besides the scissors, file, etc. This lit
tie case was imported, and had a slip OF paper
with some writing in French upon it. Our
Yankee girl took the French paper to a ten
ant of that nationality living in the Same
house with her who translated the same, by
which she guined the informal on that the
care OF the nails WINS of ms much importance
to women Of fashion as the care Of tho teeth,
and that as much time should be- spent ON the
beauty and preservation of one as tho other.
This was, OF course, very instructive and to
the point, hut gave no particular informa-
ton rs to what she vas 10 do with tho VA
rious instruments of curious shapes which
the little box contained.
Nothing dannte1, however, by little trife
like the fact that she was prepared to wnRe
war on the delicate hands OF her patient with
the intention Of using every blessed one Of
these tools, be the effect what it might. she
proceeded to the house OF her patron. The
lady herself unconsciously aided our Yankee
friend, and appeared with a dainty bowl Of
warm water into which she dipped her rosy
fingers before delivering her hands to her sol |
disant manicure" By dint of absolute
cheek" for there is no other word for 1t,
the operation was successfully concluded, tho
Lady appearing very well satisfied. The
manicure, now fully fiedged, pocketed her
fee after making another engagement for a
future day, returned to bor husbani and re-
lated her experience, and resolved forthwith
to sot up as u sort OF branch to his depart
ment a room where she could treat the fingers
OF such of the fair sex rs could be Inveiglsd
into hor den.
ALARoE BUSINESS.
From this simple and most ignorant be
ginning the woman OF whom 1 write is now,
l suppose. the most successful manicure by
all odds in America, and l should say from a
pretty fair experience is as good as any OF
the French women who after serving quite a
long apprenticeship undertake the business,
which Is a very old one on tho other side OF
the water. l do not know how much Of a
fortune this first manicure has made, but 1
am certain 1t is no nconsiderablo sum. She
not only has n suite of large parlors very olo-
gantly furnished, where, on q bright morn
ing, may at times be seen fifteen or twenty OF
the most fashionable New York women. but
she has for the last two or three years done q
large business In the manufacture OF the
goods necessary for the proper caro- and
treatment OF tho hands. Each lady, Of
course, has her own instruments just as much
as each lady has her own combs and brushes,
and, while / am not aware that the fnbrica-
ton OF them is very eIponEive, / am perfectly
convinced that the retail price admits of an
immense profit, most OF which, of course,
aecrues to the manufacturer. In every city
in the United States these goods are sold.
hVs'oi them are patented, anu besides the
Instruments the same person Manufacture
the powder and paste.
should think this was one Of the remark.
able Instances of taking "the tide in the af-
fairs OF women at the Hood, which leads on
to fortune" From a mere accident which.
to a less observant and ready woman. would
have been passed by without perhaps a fu-
turo thought, has arisen a lucrative and
well-founded business, which not only sup
ports and brings a comfortable income to the
woman by whose cleverness 1t was created,
but is the means of giving a livelihood to
hundreds OF others, most of whom have
started out without a dollar OF capital, and
With nothing TO depend upon but their own
aptness and some little skill. for / understand
an apprenticeship OF three or four days or a
week Is all that is necessary to learn this
business