A hair receiver, no maker's mark, at least 100 years old from Wales A hair receiver is a small pot, typically made of

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

, or

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

, with a hole in the lid, kept on the dressing table in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

to store hair removed from brushes and combs.

History

Hair receivers were a receptacle with a finger-wide hole in the top to allow for the collected hair to be fed into the box. The hair collected in these receivers was recycled in a number of ways, notably for stuffing small bags, about across, called ratts (or rats), used to bulk out women's hairstyles. These ratts could also be made by weaving or plaiting the collected hair. These ratts helped in achieving the high and filled out hairstyles which were fashionable in the Victorian era. The desire for changing the shape of the hair and head was linked, by one writer, to the Victorian fascination with

phrenology Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the Human brain, brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific ...

Some hair would be kept to make

hair jewellery Hairwork, or jewelry or artwork made of human hair, has appeared throughout the history of craft work, particularly to be used for private worship or mourning. From the Middle Ages through the early twentieth century, memorial hair jewelry remain ...

and was also used for stuffing pincushions and small furnishing cushions as human hair was softer than the alternative, feathers. These receivers were often paired with a matching trinket box or a powder jar or as part of a dressing table set, made mainly from

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

, though glass, metal, and

celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common present-day ...

were also used. Glass receivers were often topped with silver or silver plate. They were most commonly round or oval. The use of hair receivers fell into decline in the early 20th century, with shorter hairstyles becoming more fashionable.

References

Victorian era {{fashion-stub