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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Antiques and Collectibles Articles   Follow the arrows to other stories Barber shop services and shaving mugs trimmed since 1800s   By Pat Stott-Prince So often the female vanity of bygone days is identified by the personal hygiene objects that were used and have survived today. So it is also, with the gentlemen of the Victorian times. The personal grooming of the gentleman was the responsibility of his barber, unless of course the gentleman was of the upper class and could afford his own man servant. The barber shop was, and still is in small towns, a place where men go and wait their turn to get a shave and/or a hair cut. While waiting their turn, local gossip and personal points of view on the politics of the days are exchanged. While the history of the barber pole goes back to the 1700s representing the blood letting and bandages, ironically the personalized barbering belonged to the 1830-1930 era when it was popular for men to have beards, side whiskers and moustaches. These facial features, however took more care than a shaven face.   At one time, the barber used the same shaving mug and razor for all customers, but this led to an epidemic of an eczema known as the barber itch. Laws were passed prohibiting the communal use of these utensils, so then each customer brought in his own mug or he was assigned one. Regular customers kept their own items in their designated spot on the barber shop shelf. This might include not only his mug, but his razors, a bottle of after shave (face tonic) and perhaps his own towels. Names or numbers were put on them, but there was some who were not attuned to literacy, so eventually the mugs were adorned with transfers of a trade, patriotic emblems, fraternal organizations, family crests, reproductions of paintings and sketches, or they were a unique shape.Whether they could read or not, the owner could identify his own.   Most shaving mugs have two compartments. One was for water and the smaller one was for soap. These were called scuttles. Some had holes in the top compartment for the soapy water to strain through. These were naturally, called strainers. Some had up to four compartments holding soap, razor, brush and water.     The decline of the barber shop ritual began with the advent of WW1 when soldiers were to be clean shaven and had to do the task themselves. It survived for another decade or so, until men started shaving at home. Time saw the straight razor replaced by the safety razor and finally an electric razor. They had their own shaving basin as opposed to the family wash basin, and they had their own razor strop for sharpening the straight blades.   Women had their own shaving mugs and razors too. They were not talked about or put on display as the men’s were. A woman shaving was a secret thing. Most collectable shaving mugs found today come from 1870-1920. Old Spice has put out several types of shaving mugs in the near past, but they are more for ornamental packaging than for actual use.   Pat Morrissey of Gravenhurst, Ontario, has a collection of about 90 shaving mugs and the photos above are all from Pat’s collection. They are all china and come in quite a variety of shapes and styles. Pat’s interest in collectibles has been handed down from his father and mother. They had an antique business in Flesherton, Ontario, from 1955 well into the 1980s. Like-minded collectors can reach Pat by e-mail at pam.morrissey@sympatico.ca   References: Klamkin, Marian, Collectibles: A Compendium, Dolphin Books Doubleday & Co. N.Y. 1981; MacKay James, Collectables, Macdonald & Jane’s Pub., Great Britain 1979; Rinker, Harry (Ed), Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 28th Ed., Wallace-Homestead   Other articles by Pat Stott-Prince   Muffineers   Whistling Cups       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2007 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster