The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-05-09
THE TRADE IN FALSE HAIR
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WIGS
AND SWITCHES.

AND SWITCHES.
Americans Have No Locks to Spare, |
So the Supply Comes Entirely from
Abroad-Odd Details.
An extensive business in quiet way
in this country, which draws all its raw
material from foreign sources of supply,
is the trade in false hair. 1t is chiefly
divided between two classes of handlers,
wigmakers and dealers in tresses for the
adornment of female heads. In the
lower part of Fourth avenue and other
quiet streets in the vicinity of Union
Spare are many establishments for the
manufacture and sale of the article in
both these departments. The operatives
are mostly females, and the details of
manufacture are such as to require an
artistic taste and an entire freedom
| from even such slight tendency to color
blindness as an enterprsing dry good
salesman has it in his power sometimes
/ to overcome by persuasive loquacity.
| Not only in the construction of wigs IS
/ the skill of an artist demanded but in
( the arrangement of curls, braids, and
| bangs attractive for ladies of all ages,
the highest degree Of ingenuity is re-
quired.
The sales of false hair, in its various
forms, in this city now reach volume
of about 500, 900 a year, according TO
prominent dealer In the salesroom of
the latter, extensive showcases display
"switches" of every size and color, tare-
fully made up, ready to be matched with
and attached among the natural tresses
. Of Co hrtpatfn WhU
they are called 'switches" no one seems
to know. On the shelves are all kinds
of boxes containing supplies of braids,
curls, bangs, etc, in all manner OF
styles. The reporter modestly withdrew
to one end of the floor and galed out OF
the window as an elderly lady entered
and demanded to be shown some IRON
gray ringlets to match her own, and of
which she took off a sample. Her re-
quirements were quickly fulfilled, and
when she paid 50. 75 for a cluster of three
little curls that hardly covered the palm
of her hand, the reporter began to under
stand the profits of the business.
"Ths is the time of the year that
business ought to be looking up in this
department, " said the proprietor, "but |
fear it will be poor trade this season.
There used to be good trade and good
profit about fifteen years ago, but now
there is too much competition and the
demand seems TO be decreasing"
"Why should business be good at this
more than at any other time of the ycarl'
asked the reporter.
"Well, people replenish their hair
about the same time that they do their
wardrobes, and particularly when the
ladies are ordering their spring bonnets
they call on Us also. Now the wig
makers season is al over, for the )
manufacture almost entirely nowadays
: for theatrical companies, ana to a very
: large extent to special orders for the
J various characters required. Mostly all
7 that business comes in the autumn, of
course
} 'What kind of hair commands the
best prices!"
''Good gray, because it is most diff
cult to obtain; those who have it don't
want to part with it, and really pure
gray is very rare"
(Which 80 you sell more of, blond or
| brunettel'
"AbOut the same quantity of each, and
more straight switches of all kinds than
of bangs, curls or other manufactured
forms"
3 The dealer also mentioned that the
4 usuat length of switches was about
twenty inches The longest sold is
twenty eight and thirty inches, but
there is not much demand for long
hair at present. Switches are all
sold by weight the prices vary
ing according to the color and
quality. Common hair sells from
fifty cents to two dollars an ounce, but
the finest gray hair commands as high a
price as seventy-five dollars an ounce.
Hair is pretty heavy article two, an |
a half-pound switch is by no means a
, large one. The made-up forms in curls,
etc, are sold at fancy prices by the
piece. Almost all the hair sold here is
) imported from Europe. 1t comes chiefly
/ from Germany, Austria and France,
where travelling agents collect natural
tresses from peasant maidens or Other
, growers of the article who are willing tC
sell it. 1t is imported in three grades al
, different rates of duty. Twenty pei
cent ad valorem is paid on the "raw
material, which means the hair Just n,
I, it is cut from the head thirty per cent
upon the "prepared article, which i'm
plies that it has been cleaned and sorted
aad forty per cent. upon manufactured
hair goods ready for sale. The poores
class of hair, the dealer said, comes from
Italy. 1t is coarse in quality aud com
mon in color. There is a little hail
bought from the French Canadian peo
pie, but otherwise none is obtainabe il
J America, for the reason that Americans
{ won't sell it-they only want to buy. -
Nel0 York Commercial Adcctj,er.