In the back alleys of Paris in 1892, a rag-and-bone man walked through the shadows, carrying a basket on his back and gripping a hooked stick. His task was fishing tangles of discarded hair from open drains. Those would then be cleaned, sorted, and sold to wigmakers and brush manufacturers. It captures the harsh realities of the urban poor in the 19th century. Women crouched near steaming pots, while children sat on the cold ground. Despite the hardship, these workers formed the backbone of a hidden economy. Paris, the city of fashion and refinement, owed part of its elegance to the unseen labor of those who scavenged and salvaged from the city’s waste.
