Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-15
THE TRADE IN HUMAN HAIR
IMPORTANT BUSINESS IN SEW
ERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.
Maids of Brittany Leading Factors
in Supply of Tresses-Japan
Sends Some Locks.

From London lit this.
a fashionable hair dresser not a hun
died miles from Bond street, is the
writer's authority for stating that .. per
cent Of ladies of fashion in this country
wear almost much artificial hair as
they do of their own, while in Paris
practically all ladies. when they reach a
certain age. say iorty fifty years.
use artificial hair.
The reason for this is. continued my in
formant. not so much that women of to-
day possess scanty tresses, but that nova
days coifures are SO large and elabora tie
that the society woman finds it impossi-
BILE To follow the dictates of fashion with
ont the al of false hair. The majority
have To depend on twists. puffs. pads and
switches of artificial hair in order to
ira nStorm their natural hair into at
tractiNe headdreSS.
Hair Agents Hunting Grounds.
The hair with which society women
supplement their own can scarcely be
termed false, however for the simple
reason that it comes from the heads of
Other women. In Belgium, Brittany. Hol-
land, Germany. Austria aud even Japan
"A huge business is done In human hair.
gents are continually securing Europe
10 obtain supplies of the same. Brittany
being the happy hunting ground of most
of them. for il is the Breton who fur
nishes the greatest supply of hair for
the use of hair dreSserS.
The buying and selling are conducted
chiefly at fairs. although much bargain
ing is done privately I'm the villages. Inc
agent cutter takes up his quarters ana
displays highly colored handkerchief
tied TO walking stick or fastened from
one window to another. Women who are
willing to sell their hair arc thus ac-
n,iainted with the agents whereabou
and as payment for their tresses may
receive "a piece of cloth or gaudy petit
coat worth. perhaps, about two or three
shillings in English money. And the agent
would get anything between go and
$40. according to color. texture and gen
eral beauty, for a pound of hair thus
obtained.
Advised Not to Sell.
1t is thus that the Breton women are
robbed by the willy hair agent The law
cannot interfere, because woman may
do what she likes with her own property.
Cure or pastor may and does advise the
women not to sell their hair. but little
notice is taken of this advice by the
women of Brittany, who, being blessed
with luXuriant heads of hair, are quite
willing to dispose of it for little luxurles
in the way of clothes or ornaments which
they would otherwise be unable to obtain.
The native custom supports the practice.
for the cutter only takes the back hair.
and the loss of that does not show under
the big white cap which all the peasant
women wear and which is famed as the
Breton headdress all the world over.
The hair of children, too, is often sold
by Breton mothers, and is greedily sought
after by agents on account of its sickness
and softness, and it is pathetic 10 watch
at country fairs an avaricious mother
haggling with the cutter about the price
OF the hair of her child. who stands meek
~ by with wondering eyes, and is shortly
deprived of its beautiful curls.
Society Women Will Pay Anything.
At one time hair agents were a feature
OF every country fair in Europe. and in
many peasant families the hair was Guilt
waited for the special purpose of sale.
though the remuneration was usually a
bit OF gaudy finery. In latter days, now
ever. the women of such countries as
Holland, Belgium, Germany and Brit
tany have got to know more ABOUT the
real value of their hair. and the agents
find them loath to part with it except
FOR fair price, and there is no reason
why they should not have it, for the So
ciety woman does not haggle over cost
in such matter and hairdressers can
demand practically their own price.
1t is interesting to note, by the way.
that the treasured golden hair which
ladies of the theatrical profession so often
covet, comes from Germany and Sweden;
while hungary and Italy send black
tresses TO supplement the scanty locks of
come from the far east; but as Chinese
and Japanese hair is of a somewhat
coarse texture, it is generally only used
for the purpose of pads.