Human hair ornaments were quite popular in the late 19th century, from
what I understand.  I believe that I've read about them under
Victoriana.  A good fictional description of the making of one can be
found in one of the first two *Elsie Dinsmore* books by Martha Finley.
The books were set in the pre- and post-Civil War period, although they
were written during the late 19th and early 20th century.
 
As for the receptacle: my grandmother had a dresser set that included a
mirror, a hairbrush, a comb, a lidded bowl for face powder, a button
hook, and a receptacle such as you describe for hair.  The set was made
of what she thought was ivory, but what I suspect was an early
plastic-like product (made of cellulose nitrate?  someone more
knowledgable should correct me on this, but I think that was how someone
described the lid of another grandmother's prayerbook which I had also
thought was ivory).  I imagine that the set was a wedding gift; my
grandparents were married in 1918.  My grandmother explained to me that
the hair receptacle was indeed for hair pulled from the hair brush or
comb.  It was saved to make her own "rats," which were bundles of hair
fashioned into tubes--something like sausages.
        To use them, you brushed your hair down and rolled it over the
rat (is it possible that the so-called rat-tail combs were used for this;
to help keep the hair rolling neatly around the rat?).  It then sat back
from your face, somewhat like a hat.  Because of the rat, it stayed in
that position.  In the 1950s, you could buy ready-made rats, made out of
some kind of fabric dyed in "hair colors" and a springy one that
resembled curlers.  The advantage of the self-hair rats, according to my
grandmother, was that if the rat showed through at any point, it looked
natural--like your own hair.
        Sorry to have rambled so long.  You stirred up a rather
remarkable memory that I had forgotten I had!  Hope this helps.