Wichita eagle., 1889-02-07
WIGS AND WIG-MAKING.
All About False Hair and Where
Il Is Procured
The German and Norman Peasant Girls
Furnish Most of the supply They
are Paid for Their Tresses-The
Cost or First-Class Wigs.

Cost OF fIrSt-Class wigs.
There Is more poetry and romance woven
into the history Of an auburn wig, more
tender sentiment twisted into the tradi-
items of blonde toupee, says the New
York Sun, than the bald headed man who
wears them ever dreams Of The soft
locks that shelter his poll from the draught
that chills and the migratory fly that fam
would choose his shiny PATE for the scene
OF its revels and wanderings, once waved
above the bright eyes of some fair German
peasant maiden or saucy, sparkling Nor
man lassie, who bartered them for a
trinket OF gold or silver for her Sabbath
day adjoining. Just why these peasant
women possess such abundant tresses has
never yet been satisfactorily explained,
but the foreign women, particularly the
French and German, who toll IN the fields,
shielded from the sun only bY the small
close cap which covers their hair, but
does not shade their faces, invariably
have beautiful, fine, soft hair, and 1t
is from them that all the best hair in the
market is obtained, in the following man
ner. Most of the women have too much
hair to be covered entirely by the close cap
without being so tightly braided or twisted
as to be uncomfortable. Accordingly the
itInerant hair buyer fills his pockets and
pack with bright ribbons, fine caps, beads
and trinkets, and wanders through the
fields where the women work. When the
noou-tide lunch has been eaten he spreads
his tempting wares beneath some shelter
ing tree, and the shy, brighteyed lassies
steal up tlmldly and pick out the brooch or
long earrings or pretty ribbons for their
Sunday cap for which they long, then snatch
off the little caps from their HAIR, unbraid
and shake out all its shining beauty for the
peddler inspection, aud when bargain Is
made they Sit down on the grouSd while he
carefully ships out here and there tress
so cunnIngly that 1t Is never missed. Usu-
ally girl sells about half her hair, but If 1t
be very heavy two-thirds Of it is sometimes
cut out, leaving the remainder long and
smooth, to be braided up with no trouble
and wound about her head. Pure white
hair is most expensive because extremely
rare A woman old enough to have white
hair has usually very little left, and that
is short, yellow at the ends, and split and
broken. After this the yellow blonde hair
is most difficult TO fad, auburn hair, and
what hair-dressers designate as drab
shades.
The art of wig making is dignited with
the most ancient of histories. There is a
periwig in the British Museum Of
Egyptian origin supposed to be 1000 years
old, and Xeuophon mentions that AstYages
wore an immense wig. Roman Emperors
supplied the lack of natural hair with
artificial substitutes. the wig Of the Emperor
Commodus being highly perfumed and
sprinkied with gold dust; and even the
South Sea Islanders understand the art Of
H.. e.. as,-T-. - 81
popular fashion of Louis XIII S establish
ment, that no gentleman could appear with
out a wig, wigs were rarely worn at al,
because they were sc crudely fashioned as
20 deceive no one as 70 their purpose, but
Mr.. Rouchfuss, the oldest wis maker in the
city, asserts that there is now q revival
of the custom and continually increasing
demand for wigs and toupees, though thus
Is not noticeable, because theIs are SO many
more bald headed men than formerly that
the percentage OF wig wearers 10 small and
wigs are so cunuIngly made as 10 defy de
tection Physicians frequently recommend
the wearing Of wigs preventive Of or
cure for catarrh and neuralgia and influenza
'Ail kinds Of people wear them" Mr..
Rouchfuss asserts, ''from the fastidious
man Of unlimited means, who buys new
wig costing twenty-five dollars or thirty
dollars as often as once a month, 10 the
man who only can afford one once year,
and then takes wig that some fussy man
has discarded after once or twice wearing
because the color didn please him or some
thing in the style didn't quite suit These
we sell cheaper, like the insists IN the
tailors' establishments; but we never make
any real insists"
How often does any one need new
wigl"
Once IN three or six months, according
totbe care they give it. People with wigs
are with wigs just as they are with cloth
ing Some men Will wear suit and look
dressed IN IL Enen you can see your face IN
the back CT the coat and carry a vallse II
the knee OF the trousers. It is The neat
way they put 1t on and the care they give
IL Just so with wig"
'How do you fas;en On toupeesr'
With peculiar preparation Like paste,
which comes in a long stick and IL hard w
I'll a small piece is broken OF and worked IN
the fagers Ike putty. Three or fonr o.
these pieces viii fas;ea toupee on 50
blizzard can't blow il Of. but it iooseas easily
with the fingers when we wish 20 re-
move L."
''W hat is the most expensive wig ra26ep
a pure gGIiS yeE t2lS,el V Y czSels W. OF
go, and plain weft wig Ia color comes "a
low as sis. Toupees run from 60 20 fiS
OF course, ladies' wigs are moro expensive,
sometimes going as high a. sloo, according
10 the length and color Of the eAar. B1i
VERY few ladies' wear wigs, for there ara ~
many assie devices by Which women conceal
tnear lack Of hair; and they are cunning
enough Ia the arrangement OF the fe.
treSses they have 20 maze the Esost o.
them
Which are hzrdes; 20 please, women OF
menT1
There's very little difference Thsy are
beth hard 70 phase a. frs They are &C
cassorei 70 seeing little or 70 halr and
anT tnisg we can r.ake icoks unnatural
Old wig wearers have their particular boo
hies, bit they are easily satisfied. One Q.
nv customers wears to1pss TIA: weighs
four ounces. one-quzrter Of pound, yoz
see. when q wnpss Wiz culy weighs 81 carcs
And a Quarter. That's because be were 4
years ago when tnsy made wigs Lie cooI
usfa. because they Gsdr'. know zcy better
Theress enc advantage thzs w5g-rsz.ers
have, aad Tat - they keep their Customers
A EAa Ia p1ts On . wig eau never take Is
o. he woZl6 a. soo1 think Of crssss.s