IM- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BATHING AND WASHING THE HEAD AND DRYING THE HAIR
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Langdon Winn, of the City and State of
New York, United States of America, for the Invention of " IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BATHING AND WASHING THE HEAD AND
DRYING THE HAIR."
Scaled the 7th October 1871, and dated the 12th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Langdon Winn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th April 1871.
⚫I, MARK LANGDON WINN, of the City and State of New York, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BATHING AND WASHING THE HEAD AND
DRYING THE HAIR," to be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention consists of apparatus, as hereafter
described, for bathing and washing the head. I take a vessel in the
form of a basin, but made without a bottom, having in some cases a
projection and a partition, over which the hair is laid when long, as

page_text: hereafter explained, the lower part of the basin is also fitted with a pipe
and stop-cock. This basin is secured to an adjustable standard, and
the standard is for convenience attached to the back of a chair, To
the lower portion of the basin and round the open part thereof I attach
a piece of clastic and waterproof material forming an inclined flange
round the open bottom, which flange is free to contract or expand on
being placed on a small or large surface so as to adapt itself to and to fit
tightly thereto round the head, as hereafter explained; a turban made
of flexible elastic material is placed round the base of the vessel with
the upper edges attached thereto, its lower edge being provided with an
elastic cord. There is a two-part conical tray with a rim fitting below
the basin and a tube leading therefrom.
To use the apparatus the person to be operated on sits in the chair,
above which the basin, before described, is suspended by the standard;
the basin is then adjusted by the standard being raised or lowered so as
to fit on to the head of the person seated on the chair, and the head to
form as it were a bottom to the basin; long hair is laid over the partition
before described, the clastic inclined flange sets or fits tightly round the
head, so as to make a water-tight joint near the base of the scalp, and
should there be any leakage the liquid that drops falls into the conical
tray placed around the neck and escapes by the pipe leading therefrom
to any convenient receptacle, the inclined flange being properly adjusted
the elastic turban is drawn tight and so an ornamental appearance is
given to the apparatus. Straps connected with the basin or an expansive
metal band may be used to distend the clastic flange to facilitate its
application to or its removal from the head. After the basin is applied
to the head in the manner before described the soapy water or other
bathing liquid to be employed for washing the head is poured into the
basin and the head and hair are then washed by the attendant.
As a convenient means for supplying the water or other liquid used
for washing the head I use a sprinkler attached to a hollow elastic yoke
provided with a strap applied round the nose and upper part of a pitcher.
This part of the Invention further consists in the construction and
employment of gloves having bristles attached to the under side of
the fingers to facilitate the brushing and cleansing of the hair and
scalp.
The second part of this Invention refers to apparatus for drying long
hair after boine washed and it consists of a hollow matal once warmed

page_text: or heated by a spirit lamp or other heating device to be used in the
following manner :--The hair having been washed in the ordinary way
(but if washed in the manner before described the basin is removed
from the standard and the metal case substituted) the wet hair is laid
and spread over the case during the combing and brushing operations,.
and is thereby sufficiently warmed and dried to allow it to be curled,,
plaited, or otherwise dressed or put up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Mark Langdon Winn in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 11th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARK
LANGDON WINN, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Mark Langdon Winn, Her special
licence that I, the said Mark Langdon Winn, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Mark Langdon Winn,
my executors, adminstrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter,
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
દુઃ IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR BATHING AND WASHING THE HEAD AND DRYING
THE HAIR," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Mark
Langdon Winn, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Mark Langdon Winn, do hereby
leclare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the

page_text: same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertamed m
and by the following statement, reference being made to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
Fig. 1 is a side elevation representing a person sitting in a chair with
the washing apparatus applied to the head, and the conical tray and
elastic collar around the neck to catch any drippings; Fig. 2 is a rear
elevation, partially in section, of the standard that supports the bottom-
less basin Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of the bottomless basin with the
ornamental turban drawn back; Fig. is a section of the said bottom-
less basin and turban; Fig. 5 is a plan of the conical tray for surrounding
the neck; Fig. 6 is a section of the same; Fig. 7 is a separate view of
the elastic collar; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section, as in use, of the case
employed for drying the hair; Figs. 9 and 10 are cross sections of the
same at the lines y, y, and z, z, of Fig. 11; Fig. 11 is an inverted plan
of this drying case; Fig. 12 is a side view of the water pitcher and
sprinkler attached; Fig. 13 is a view of this sprinkler separate; and
Fig. 14 is a representation of a glove and brush combined for cleansing
the hair and scalp.
An adjustable standard a attached to the back of a chair sustains
the bottomless basin 6 that is employed to set over the head and receive
the hair to be washed; this basin may have a rearward projection &
and a partition, over which the hair is laid, when long, during the
washing operation. The bottomless basin is made with an elastic
inclined flange or ring c around its open bottom to set around the
person's head while such person is seated at ease in the chair; this
flange by its elasticity contracts around the head to make a water-tight
connection near the base of the scalp, and a surrounding strap d with
cushions e to set at the sides of the head are also employed to tighten
the flexible ring c. A flexible clastic turban f is employed with the
upper edges attached around the bottomless basin and its lower edges
provided with an clastic cord that contracts around the head, this gives
an ornamental appearance to the apparatus. Straps connected with
the basin or an expansive metal band are employed to distend the
clastic flange or ring to facilitate its application to or removal from
the head. I have shown the straps i attached to the flexible ring c, and
these are drawn out and hooked upon the pins 2 to distend the flexible
ring previous to being placed over the head. The outer edge of this

page_text: flexible ring c is secured around the bottomless metallic basin by a wire
or cord tightened up by a lever 3 that is held; by a catch. The soapy
water or bathing liquid employed is to be poured into this basin b
after it is properly applied to the head, and then the head and hair
are washed by the attendant. Gloves are provided with bristles attached
to the under side of the fingers so as to facilitate brushing and cleaning
the hair and scalp, one of these is shown in Fig. 14. A sprinkler k
attached to a hollow elastic yoke 1, Figs. 12 and 13, provided with a
strap is applied around the nose and upper part of a pitcher as a con-
venient means for supplying the water used in washing. The bottomless
basin has a plug or cock and pipe m from the lowest portion to allow
the water to run away. The bottomless basin 6 has an arm b² passing
through a slide at the upper end of the standard a, so that the basin
may be adjusted horizontally, and the joint and movable pin used for
connecting the standard and basin allows the basin to be swung up
out of the way.
A two-part conical tray n with a rim is provided to set around the
neck to catch any drippings from the apparatus, and from this a tube o
passes to a drain or receptacle, and above this tray an india-rubber or
flexible conical collar p is provided setting closely around the neck, the
ends being lapped and secured by strings or by pins on the tray n.
The hair when long should be dried by artificial heat to prevent its
becoming musty or sour from being put up wet. For this purpose the
said bottomless basin is removed, and in its place a hollow case r
extending to rear is attached to the adjustable standard a; this case r is
of metal with a cloth upper surface and is warmed by a spirit lamp 8
or other heating device, and upon this case the bair is spread during
the combing and brushing operations, and thereby is sufficiently warmed
and dried to allow of the hair being curled, platted, or otherwise dressed
or put up. A shield of non-conducting material' prevents the neck or
head coming into contact with the drying case and the cloth surface
of the case prevents injury to the hair by heat and aids the drying
operation by absorbing moisture.
The standard a is to be of a character suitable to the chair employed,
the Drawing represents the same with a hook to rest upon the top of
the chair back, and a movable clamp to hold the lower end of the
standard [to the chair rails at the back. The rack, pinion, pawl, and
hand wheel are employed in adjusting the height of the standard and

page_text: What I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,—
First. The bottomless basin with an clastic flange surrounding the
head to make a water-tight joint, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Second. The adjustable standard a combined with the said bottomless
basin b, substantially as set forth.
Third. The ornamental turban applied to and combined with the
bottomless basin, as specified.
Fourth. The conical tray n and flexible neck collar constructed
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifth. The drying case
supported upon the adjustable standard a
and applied to dry the hair, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The removable elastic yoke and sprinklerk to be attached
to a pitcher as and for the purposes set forth.
Seventh. The glove made with separate fingers, upon which bristles 2
are attached to form a shampooing brush, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Langdon Winn, have here-
unto set my band and seal, this 18th day of September, A.D. One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witnesses,
CHAS. II. SMITII,
121, Nassau St., New York,
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
121, Nassau St., New York.
M. L. WINN. (L.S.)