Year: 1864

something NSW-bruSmlnE HAIR Dy


Machinery.


1t is fact. A patent combination of
castiron, mahoSany, bristles and India
rubber brushes your hair, with new
principle of movement, and an entirely
fresh and hitherto unique sensation. A
friend said to me yesterday: "Fve had
my head brushed by machinery. A thing
comes down from the ceiling and does
every hair from root to tip; all twirling
about" .. ..a -.g


Now my friend was wag, and l
thought this lucid description Of the
brushing machine an example Of his quail
ity; but he grew serious. -.... ......


60 yourself" said he; and went. l
don't care to advertise particular shop,
but may say that it was in one of the
streets leading out of Piccadilly. Before
long the invention will be fully known
and widely applied; it has been patented
in England.


OF all minor sensations, that of having
your hair well brushed is one of the most
agreeable. There are some BARRIERS who
pat your head with bristles till it blceds;
others harrow the skin; Others stroke the
outside of Your hair with feeble, unpene-
trating touch; but when you sit under a
man whose hand is neither too heavy nor
too light, who just touches the scalp with
searching bristles, and then draws them
steadily through the hair, a sense of sooth-
ing calm creeps over you. Imagine, how
ever, steady and searching stroke indeti-
nitely extended. Think what it must be
to feel the brush take up your hair with
out any descending motion; conceive
every part of the scalp traversed with a
penetration which skipS nothing, and yet
never scratches the skin, never trespasses
on the forehead or the neck; conceive
stroke which, though your hair may be
only an inch long, can be continued, if
you please, for quarter ofan hour. And
yet all these conditions are fulfilled in the
new machine for hairbrushing.


The brush is circular, like one for clean
ing bottles, and revolvcs on long axis,
which projects far enough at each end for
the hands to hold, so that the. brush may
turn round while the axis remains still.
Rigidly connected with the drum-shaped
brush is a wheel like that of pulley, with
deep groove. 1t is evident that if this
be turned, the brush will turn round the
axis or handle which you hold. The
question is, how to give the retatory mo-
ton to the brush, and yet shift it about
all over the patients head. If the brush
were set twirling in frame, he might put
his head to it; but this would be incon-
venient. How can we make the brush
revolvc, and then apply it to the hair:


1t is done thus: An endless band Of
vulcanized India-rubber hangs from the
calling over the chair in which you sit to
be brushed it descends to within about
foot of your head, and is made to revolve
BY machinery. All, therefore. that the
operator has to do is to hitch this revolv-
ing band into the groove of his drum
brush, and draw it down. Away it spins,
the elasticity OF the descending India
rubber band enabling the operator TO shift
it about to the different parts of the head.
and apply just so much pressure as is
agreeable to the patient.


When l went in to get my hair thus
brushed, had sat down before the glass,
and had been tucked in as usual with
bib and dressing gown, the hair-dresser
took up one of his circular brushes and
hitched into the revolving band over my
head. In moment l felt the silent fan
ming, as if some monstrous butterfly were
lowering over me; this was the air OF the
twirling brush, which caught my hair up
and laid it down, and Travelled all over
my head with incessant penetration. 1t
crept down my whiskers and searched my
beard with the same tender and yet de-
cided effect. There was no scratching,
not even of the neck and ears, but the
skin of the cheeks and chin was reached
and swept. 1t was new sensation. l
felt as if l should like to be brushed con-
tinuously for month. My attendant
told me there was strong opposition to
it OH the part of the manual hairdressers,
and that some Of them had given out that
it was certain to produce fits. Fits OF
laughter" he added, "must be meant"
There was certainly sense of exhilera-
ton in it which never felt in hairdres-
sers before.


The brushes are changed quite easily.
I think that the shape will have to be
modified, and al'o that they must not be
made to twirl so fast. l can readily i'm
agine a very excitable person being
whisked into state of ecstacy by pro-
longed application of this tanning, whirl-
ing machine. But, no doubt, it will be
extensively used, and will probably be
adapted to the stable and harness-room.
One small steam engine might be made to
clean simultaneously whole regiment of
horse. Every stall might have its descend
ing indiarubber band. You could go
over nearly the whole of horse with 1t.
The groom would only have to use re-
volving brush, and hitch its groove into
the driving band. 1t will, suppose, be
used for boots and clothes. The speciali-
ty of the thing consists in having long
elastic driving band, which allows the op-
orator to apply the brush where he pleas
es, and the perfect simplicity with which
the thing is thrown into and out Of gear.


TIE BEGcARs STRIKING" = Among
the pensioners sat the corner" there is an
oldnrlv lady who has alwayS been con-