The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-25
HISTORY OF The WIG.
DIsUsE OF AN ORGAN DE
PRIvEs 1T OF POWER.
How Bald-Headed Men and Women
Conceal the Lack Of Hair and
Defy Detection.

OeIy OctCCtAVAAs
In one Of those monumental books
which more and more, as the years go
by, become the wonder of the modern
scientific world. Charles Darwin lays
down the principle that the disuse OF
an organ results first in depr1vlng u
of power; secondly, in dwarhnS, anu
thin Oily, in reducing it to a rudimentary
condition, or abolishing 1t altogether'
He thinks it probable that the human
ears, for instance, were once moVeApie'
for there are still to be found ruoi-
mentss of the muscles that once drew
them forward into an attitude OF AT
tention. and backward when the I'M
mediate necessity for their use nao
passed. He further believes that the
body of primeval man was IN all
probability covered with a. uehse
growth of hair, but as men began 70
wear clothing, Dame Nature, with ner
we'll known regard for economy, let
off growing hair on the fur protected
bodies of the human race, but contln-
ued dense capillary covering on the
crown of the head, the most exposed
portion of the body.
Primitive man went bare headeo, pue
now that civilization ordains hats ana
bonnets and other headgear,. IT seems
among the possibilities that the naIr
of the head will go, too, Tor tnere -
reason to believe that badness Is on
the increase, and that the present
century. for the abundance of shiny
polls, is distinguished above all us
predecessors. Under present conditions,
however, men and women VINO iose
their hair need not give themselves one
moment uneasineSS on account OF lhdl
fact. for the dealers in hirsute adorn-
ments are ready to supply all de1cien-
cies. and do SO with a taste and skill
that rival nature and defy detection.
The wigmaker's trade is in reality q
branch of fine art, for, while bald peo-
ole are often extremely DESTROYS OF con-
cealing the deformity, they are equaiiy
anxious not to advertise the fact that
the hair which adorns their craniums
is bought rather than grown py tneir
own exertions, SO ingenuity Is taxed 10
conceal the fact Of purchase to sucn d
hight of skill has the, manipulator OIL
hair attained that even a sharp tug al
a. well made wig in stu often fails 10
reveal the fact that it is not naturai
growth of the Uranium which II
adorns.
The hair business begins in the rural
districts of Europe. When the spring IS
coming on, the hair peddlers OF the
large cities pack their grips. Their
stock in trade consists of bright hand
kerchiefs, gaudy articles of apparel
fancy shoes. gay colored stockings
trinkets and other trifles dear to the
feminine heart Armed with these
they sally into the country DISTRICTS
and whenever they meet a peasant gHi
with unusually fine tresses, they en-
deavor by a display Of their wares 10
induce her to part with her locks. Hav-
ing secured the hair, the peddlers pack
it carefully, taking great pains to see
that it is kept straight, and at the emu
of the trip turn it over to the Joppers'
The three great hair markets on the
continent of Europe are Paris, Lelpslc
and Budapest, the latter in recent years
having surpassed the second, Wnlch
| once enjoyed the reputation OF pelns
the greatest hair market in the world.
Having reached the hands of the deal-
ers, the hair is prepared, several
processes being necessary to fit 1t Tor
the market. AS it comes into the deal
e1s' hands it is often too oily for use,
and must be cleaned. On the con-
tinent two methods are used, the Ger
man and the French. In Germany the
hair is washed with strong alkaiine
solutions, while in France the favorlte
method of cleansing is thorough rup-
bling in a mixture Of flour and corn
meal. The French method is now pre-
ferred by most hair dealers, since there
is NO risk Of impairing the quality OF
the hair with too strong solution OF
soap.
After the hair has passed through
the hands Of the preparers 1t Is sorted
into lengths and colors, and is then
ready for the general market. Inc
black hadr, together with most varle-
ties Of dark brown, comes from France,
Spain and Italy; the light browns, yell
lows and reds from North Germany
and the Scandinavian countries, but
there has been in recent years nota-
BILE diminution in the supply. Formerly
peasant girl of Brittany or Aragon
$3.50
handkerchief, wrap this about her head
and nobody be the wiser; now the city
STYLES have penetrated into the coun-
try; the girls of the rural villages wear
stylish hats instead of peasant Don
nets railroad communication is aDol-
ishing the peasantry, and so year py
year the hair peddlers' clientele is d.
minishing in numbers.
The hair must be manufactured ere
it can be sold to the wearerS; that is,
1T must be made into switches ana
bangs. toupees and wigs, and here the
skill of the artist comes into play, as
the art must simulate nature. must,
indeed, surpass nature, for the man
who would appear on the street IN a
stage wig would become an object
of interest and attention, even from the
gamins and bootblacks. The wig must
| defy detection, the toupee must match
the switch or bang must be of the ex-
act shade, otherwise the wearers viii
become a byword among their &C
| uuaintance. for the next worst thing
! to being bald is to have people find
| out that your hair belongs to you only
| in the sense of having been bought
! and paid for with your own money.
| But the wigmaker is equal to the
emergency and with dream of ca
pillary art surmounting his Uranium
the bald man may defy alike criticism
! and hies. for no one can tell that the
| hair he Is wearing. IS not Of. his own
cultivation "A st. Louis gentleman
/ who for many years had stood at the