Martinsburg gazette. (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1886-1887, 1886-12-11
HUMAN HAIR.
a DEALER TALKS ABOUT THE
TRANSPLANTED ARTICLE.


ssTimcs are dull nowadays, Responded
the couture artist, in reply to repor
torial inquiry the other day. You sec
ours is peculiar business anyhow w
are the most abject slaves to fashion tina
ever lived. just now it's ebb tide will
us. Coiffures are worn high, and q wo
man who hasn't got enough hair to cove
the top Of hei head IS in ! pretty bad IL,
indeed. Consequently not much falls,
hair is required. OF course, there is
steady demand for standard articles
which arc to take the place Of the be
reavements Of nature. but what i NEAR
TO say ii that the good old days when .
woman walked into my store and chose
her winter Or her summer articles Of hal
apparel just as she would choose hel
winters cloak are past and gone!' and
the artist heaved sigh which expressed
regretful circumstances.
what does human hair cost29
ssDepends altogether upon the length
and the shade. Length, Of course, il
the principal item. For instance, an
ounce Of certain kind eight inches long
might only be worth fifty cents, while an
ounce trcss thirty-six inches long oil tho
same quality would be worth SIS. The
average article is generally not more
than thirty six inches long. II it is, i
commands fancy prices. But the usual
length IS but eighteen Or twenty inches.
The color IS the other important item.
This IS, of course dependent upon
scarcity. The ordinary common colors
that one sees every day Of course are the
cheapest; but you take some of the un.
usual shades, SUCH as gray, pale and deli:
cate shades Of auburn, and you have got
to pay roundly for them. Why? Because
they are hard to get and the market il
never fully supplied. White and gray
are the most expensive. =
is this because old age is vain?n
Partly for this reason, but principally
because old age, which possesses hand
some head of hair, is loathe to part with
IL except at very high figure. Sec that
tress Of brown haiflin the window? Well,
I will sell it for $40, because it is com.
mon shade; but that white one in the
corner, | could not part with it for less
than 1926 same size though, you see. =
ssWhere is the hair procuredg'
From everywhere. But it is gathered
principally in Germany, France, Russia,
Holland and Italy. The light blonde
shades as d general rule come from North
Germany and Holland. while the darker
colors all come from the south Of France
and Italy. The Southern climate also
produces 4 finer and glossier variety. Il
Il collected mostly By itinerant peddlers
who visit the country fairs and induce
Soma neasant maiden to part with he
beautiful tresscs for piece of bright cal
leo or some gaudy bauble. In othel
places, where the value Of human hair j
appreciated, the girls and women Of TIL
peasant class are regularly sheared lik'
sheep. In Brittany, which IS recognized
as the country which produces the hal
of the finest texture in the world, tn,
shearing of the women is carried on as
regular industry. Last year saw tina
the expectation Of hair from France wa
about 90, 900 pounds, at an estimated
value Of 81, 600, 900. Of course in TIL
foreign markets it is worth much more
England imports about 20, 900 pounds .
hair year alone, and America tire
years ago imported nearly $1,000, 00l
worth; and / can assure you San Fran
cisco is not behind the proportion in he
purchase
lis not some preparation needed be
tore the hair II placed on the market 70
sale?i
ssOh, yes, Of course. In Paris, wher
there are several large hair-dealers i
whom the peddlera sell their collections