Fact Of The Day 11/20/16- What are Hair Receivers?

Yesterday I visited an estate sale and purchased my first hair receiver, so I thought I'd discuss hair receivers today.
Here is the hair receiver I bought for 5 dollars

Basically, a hair receiver is a container for excess hair! Yes, really!
Hair receivers date back to Victorian times, and were apparently used until the 1950's by some women. During Victorian times, hair was very important. Brushing was very frequent, and excess hair was placed into the little hole of the hair receiver. Every woman had one on her dressing table. They were often part of dresser sets. As gross as it seems today, this was just an everyday practice that women thought nothing of.
Basically, women would save their hair from their hairbrushes and combs and insert the hair into the receiver. When the receiver was full, hair actually had many different uses. The most common were hair ratts. A hair ratt is a small ball of excess hair. Women inserted these into their hairstyles, making their hair appear fuller and larger, which was very "in" back then. Hair oils were also used very frequently, making hair ideal for stuffing pincushions because the oily hair would lubricate the pins, making it easier for sewing.
Hair receivers were made out of porcelain, ceramics, and glass, and sometimes metal or silver. Hair receivers came in many different sizes as well.
Below are some more pictures of hair receivers in different styles

Thanks for reading!