A hair receiver (or hair tidy/keeper) was a small jar or container, often porcelain, glass, or celluloid, with a hole in its lid, used from the Victorian era into the 1950s to collect shed hair from brushes for making hair art, stuffing pincushions, or creating hairpieces like "rats" to add volume to hairstyles. These vanity items sat on dressing tables, reflecting a resourceful approach to beauty by reusing hair for decorative and functional purposes, like love tokens or hair jewelry.

Key Characteristics & Use:

Function: To store hair from brushes and combs, preventing waste.

Design: Small, lidded vessel with a central opening to tuck hair into.

Materials: Commonly porcelain, ceramic, glass (cut crystal), celluloid, silver, or wood.

Era: Popular from Victorian times through the early-to-mid 20th century.

Purpose of Collected Hair: Used for hair jewelry (bracelets, lockets), stuffing pincushions, or creating hair "rats" for voluminous hairstyles.