The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-04
WIGS AND WIGMAKERS.
SOME FACTS CONCERNING THE
TRADE IN HUMAN HAIR.
pcnsants Who Grow Hair for the Market
False .sair not Uncieanly-Hair 81 the
pood lever Isec--A Curious ir'ju-

ra;sa lair not UncIeanly-Hair "f the
ncad lever UseG--A Curious fr'j"-
dioc.
Thorc ere n number OF departments in The
hair trade. TO begin at the beginning
there are the continental peasants that
grow hair ms ono OF their regular
crops. 4 crop takes about six years
- mature. Then .hero are the agents
Tor tho great firms that go around ana
bul this hair from the peasants, in much
The same way that agents from the great
elise manufacturers 30 about buying Nd
skins ia small lots end with careful con-
sheraton OF quality in each case Thea
there are tho smaller firms that buy their
hair in the natural state and clean and pre-
pare 1t for the retail deaers-that IS, wig
makers, wave" makers, etc. OF all these
various branches far the most interesting Is
that Of the theatrical wigmaker. Not only
is everything about the stage tinctured with
a special spice of romance to the public, but
in high class theatrical work there IS a great
deal Of artistic perception ard execution Of
no mean order.
Hair Is much cheaper than it used to be-
Two reasons can be assigned for this, first,
more peasants grow their hair for market
than used to. and secop1, false hair is very
much less used
II is not many years since several switches
and numbers of curls, frzzes and fronts con
stitutcd part Of the equipment Of every
woman, young and old, in the land. Cow 4
few old tabbies wear waves and occasionally
some girl who has been recklessly running
her hair 10y bleaching is forced for a time
into n Wig, bat most women don't own Il
piece of false hair. IL is not that our hair Is
any better than our mothers but that it is
now fashionable 70 wear such an amount Of
hair IS nature usually furnishes, and 1t used
TO be imperative that every woman should
upholStcr her head with enough stuff to fill n
mattress The consequence Is that a switch
to take "A single instance-that used 10 cost
So can now bc bought for s..
FALSE HAIR NOT UNcLEAELY.
No one need be afraid Of false hair bought
from n house Of good standing on the score
of its cleanliness. The peasants that sell their
hair keep it much cleaner than they would
for their own tastes, because it thus grows
better and Of better quality. Then the
dealers who sell u to tho manuiacturcrs-the
manufacturers. that is, the people who make
il up into wearing shape, and the retail deal
els are one-thcse dealers put it through a
process that would clean an elephants hide.
There are in New York a number Of firms
dealing in what we call for convenience raw
HAIR Their baci. yards look like drying
ground Of Indian trophies.
Each suit Of hair Is kept TO itself and
washed and dried separately, and in cases
whore it is dyed this Is the place whore it
uudcrgocs that process The hair Of the dead
is never used It Is worthc, for commercial
purposes, not curling or even twisting well
There is a curious prejudice among the retail
dealers not easily explained against buying
hair from the head or from private hands
The good firms could hardly be persuaded on
any terms to buy the hair Of the suffering
heroine who in novels SO frequently parts
with her glorious locks, though il it happened
that her locks were snow white and curly, or
even blonde and curly, they might be brought
TO consider the opportunity. Perfectly white
hair Is rare and commands almost any price,
and curly hair comes higher in any color.
Most Of the white hair sold is not human hair
at all Theatrical white wigs are not Of
human hair The best Of them are made Of
the hair OF the Angora rabbit, and much Of
it comes from goats New York Graphic