A short essay on how straight razor shaving used to be

[Polarbeard]

Nice way of putting things into perspective. I just get curious, given your detailed historical write-up:
I would love a list of sources, where I can read more. Are you able to list some of your sources for us in this forum?

A list would be great, shaving in past Centuries seems to brushed aside for some reason.

There is no book describing straight razor shaving put into a social perspective. It's a too narrow span to be interesting for the general public. So you have to pick it up piece by piece from a multitude of sources while going along, like I have. History has been my hobby for more than 40 years.

Just to give you an indication of what might be a good introduction of the socioeconomic situation of the age of straight razor shaving and some background litterature I suggest:

• Dudley Dillard, Economic Development of the North Atlantic Community. This is THE classic textbook used as an introduction to the Economical development from the Industrial revolution to the mid 1900's.

A few novels describing the life conditions of ordinary people during the age of straight razor shaving:

Great Britain:

• Anything written by Charles Dickens. His novels describes the situation of the people that didn't make it in the industrialization of Great Britain

Germany:

• Alfred Döblin, Berlin Alexanderplatz. A classic description of the harsh conditions for the German Working class.
• Hans Fallada, Little man, what now? Another novel describing the situation of the German lower middle class.

USA:

• Denis Lehane, The Given Day. A novel that, with deep insight, describes the social situation in the USA during the early 1900's
• John Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath. This novel needs no introduction.
• Wilhelm Moberg, The Emigrants. This is a book series that describes the life of a Swedish emigrant family in the USA during the late 1800's.

If you read Dillard's textbook alongside with some of the novels above, you'll get a very good feeling of what life was like during the age of straight razor shaving. However once again; there are no books that puts straight razors into a sociological perspective.

 

[VBH37118]

Thanks, I have seen an Article called How Did Gentlemen Shave In The 19th Century, in the sharpologist forum. Thank you again sir.

 

[Polarbeard]

Thanks, I have seen an Article called How Did Gentlemen Shave In The 19th Century, in the sharpologist forum. Thank you again sir.

You're most welcome

 

[stringer bean]

Go to
Babel.hathitrust.org
Search for "straight razor shave"
They have the archives of the American Cutler and other trade magazines, numerous barber/honing/shaving manuals as well as historical essays about shaving, honing, and razor collecting.

 

[stringer bean]

That database is pretty neat. Full text searchable high quality digital scans of all sorts of library collections of non copyrighted stuff they have in their collections. Worth poking around no matter what your particular historical interest. I love the old ads from the American Cutler

I've only started scratching the surface. There's lots of cool geology stuff as well for stone geeks.
Here's a good article about the history of whetstones from 1890. I don't know how to share a link to an article from that database. But look for "Arkansas novaculite whetstone" in their search and then the Arkansas state geology annual report.

 

[Jens]

Go to
Babel.hathitrust.org
Search for "straight razor shave"

Super source, thank you very much..!!

 

[Shutterbug57]

I very much like the OP. it got me thinking of those in authority and their shaving habits. Using US presidents as an easy to find example of authority figures, I found the following facial hair observations interesting:

Group 1 - From Washington (1 - 1789) to Buchanan (15 - 1861) only both Adams’ and van Buren sported facial hair. John Adams had bushy ear length sideburns and both John Quincy Adams and van Buren had very bushy and full mutton chops.

Group 2. From Lincoln (16 - 1861) to William Howard Taft (27 - 1913) only Johnson & McKinley were clean shaven. Five had beards and five sported moustaches. The last with a full beard was Benjamin Harrison (23 - 1889 to 1893).

Group 3 - From Wilson (28 - 1913) to Trump (45 - present) no president has worn facial hair.

Group 1 and all of group 2 beard wearers were solidly in the straight razor age. In the safety razor age, no president has had a beard and only 2 had a ‘stache - Teddy Roosevelt (26 - 1901 to 1909) and William Howard Taft (27 - 1909 to 1913).

Given that US presidents are clearly authority figures who would have had access to a shave, at least for their official portrait, I suspect there is a bit of “style of the day” being reflected in their portraits. The beard appears to have been in fashion in the last 40 years of the 19th century. The Moustache trend appears to have lingered a bit longer, but it is interesting that NO president has sported facial hair of any kind since 1913 - and that roughly coincides with the availability of the safety razor to the masses.

Four of the five bearded presidents were from (or born in) Ohio.

source - List of presidents of the United States - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_United_States

 

[Crispycrunchy]

A great read, Arne! Glad I stumbled in here again just to have found this!

The history of straight razors really is one of the primary reasons I enjoy having them. It's very thought-provoking to consider all the people who've used my razors prior to me owning them, how very different their lives must've been to mine, but also the similarities we might share.

A great historic read of straight razor usage is a small pamphlet called "The Art of Shaving or Shaving Made Easy - What the Man Who Shaves Ought to Know" from 1905. I'm sure many of you are familiar with it, but if not, I warmly recommend it. It details all the equipment required for straight razor shaving, their function and usage as well as proper shaving technique. It even has diagrams and some printed photographs in it (in which the man shaving wears a double breasted waistcoat of the kind you would have for white-tie attire, quite the get-up for a shave). It was a while ago a read it, but mostly the techniques it details are the same we are used to today. It's a fun small read!

 

[str8six]

Since it's from 1905 that book is out of copyright and has been transcribed for our convenience by Project Gutenberg:

Shaving Made Easy: What the Man Who Shaves Ought to Know by Anonymous

Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by volunteers.

www.gutenberg.org

 

[Ladit]

Thank you for the great article. I was born in 1971 and raised in the countryside of Northern Germany. Life was still very primitive in some cases in the rural parts of my homeland. People were still having some lifestock for meat supplies like a pig, ducks, goose, rabbits alike, the smaller meadows were mowed with the scythe and not every household had a telephone, a washing machine or central heating. But the everyday problems were the same and I often admire the genuity our forfathers to solve their problems without having our technology. I think we can still learn a lot from our forfathers just by taking a look back. I taught my kids how to chop wood, use a scythe, to prepare meals from scratch and some other things, because I don't want them to take all nowadays luxuries for granted. My forfathers were refugees from the eastern parts of Germany and they had to learn the hard way that the only things you can keep with you are your knowledge and your skills. Of course me and my son use straight razors and safety razors. With a straight razor you have a whole lot of things to do before you're ready to start. This trains your skills and you learn to appreciate simple things and to take your time. For me this is a worthy thing in our rushed times.

 

[rbscebu]

In "The Art Of Shaving" I found the section on face preparation and lathering very interesting.

When I started shaving (Gillette Slim with 7 o'clock blades) I would first wash my face with warm water and bath soap. Then I would apply a hot wet towel to my face. Why? Because that is what I saw barbers do in cartoons.

After a year or so of DE shaving, I realised that my shaving was better and easier if I used a completely cold water face preparation. "The Art Of Shaving" believes the same and explains why they think this is so.

 

[VBH37118]

In "The Art Of Shaving" I found the section on face preparation and lathering very interesting.

When I started shaving (Gillette Slim with 7 o'clock blades) I would first wash my face with warm water and bath soap. Then I would apply a hot wet towel to my face. Why? Because that is what I saw barbers do in cartoons.

After a year or so of DE shaving, I realised that my shaving was better and easier if I used a completely cold water face preparation. "The Art Of Shaving" believes the same and explains why they think this is so.

my feelings to a T, having a sister- in - law who has been a barber for over 40 years, it was how they were taught. It was in that book for a reason, it works plain and simple. The 2 and 3 hot towels plus relathering are bells and whistles. This is what works, the internet teaches that it is wrong, so many people who started shaving after carts came out, then took up de shaving ran with it like a was the only way to shave.

 

[Billski]

I read much and enjoyed what I read. And I prefer to shave with a DE razor.

 

[Polarbeard]

It was a very informative and interesting essay about shaving, you write very good

Thank You, that's most kind of You.

 

[Polarbeard]

I read much and enjoyed what I read. And I prefer to shave with a DE razor.

Thank You. English isn't my first language, but somehow your post makes me think of the expression "A chink in the armour". Small imperfections underlines the general greatness. At lest that's what I tell myself when my old clothes seem to have shrunk.

 

[VBH37118]

I read much and enjoyed what I read. And I prefer to shave with a DE razor.

I like both, de or cart, then a straight razor for sideburns and mustache edging.

 

[Saxon]

Thanks very much for the excellent essay! It was the inspiration for my last shaving video!

 

[Polarbeard]

Thanks very much for the excellent essay! It was the inspiration for my last shaving video!

Thank You I'm glad that you liked it.

 

[RookieGuy]

One of the last times I saw my grandmother, she was over visiting. Baltimore is halfway between Boston and Tampa. Anyways, she saw my shaving kit on my sink. She remarked how the diamond pattern razor looked like her late husband's. She actually asked how I got it.

Anyways, during the discussion, I asked her about her father's shaving habits and schedule. She was born in 1923, which would put him born somewhere just before the turn of the century. Her dad shaved every Wednesday night and Sunday morning. Once a month, he'd take the razor, edged tools, and all knives to his wood shed and sharpen everything. Put the kettle on the (coal fired) stove to boil and strope until boiling. Lather in a hammered copper mug, and use Mother's mirror from her vanity. This was all done at the kitchen table. Any blood was the automatic fault of whichever child was in the room.

Interestingly enough, my great grandfather has never shaved with a safety razor from 1900 to 1971. My grandmother's words: "What kind of [bad words] needs one of those [bad words] pansy-assed [word I've never heard before so I'm not taking chances] when all a man needs is one good straighr razor? This is just a waste of good money!"

 

[camoloc]

One of the last times I saw my grandmother, she was over visiting. Baltimore is halfway between Boston and Tampa. Anyways, she saw my shaving kit on my sink. She remarked how the diamond pattern razor looked like her late husband's. She actually asked how I got it.

Anyways, during the discussion, I asked her about her father's shaving habits and schedule. She was born in 1923, which would put him born somewhere just before the turn of the century. Her dad shaved every Wednesday night and Sunday morning. Once a month, he'd take the razor, edged tools, and all knives to his wood shed and sharpen everything. Put the kettle on the (coal fired) stove to boil and strope until boiling. Lather in a hammered copper mug, and use Mother's mirror from her vanity. This was all done at the kitchen table. Any blood was the automatic fault of whichever child was in the room.

Interestingly enough, my great grandfather has never shaved with a safety razor from 1900 to 1971. My grandmother's words: "What kind of [bad words] needs one of those [bad words] pansy-assed [word I've never heard before so I'm not taking chances] when all a man needs is one good straighr razor? This is just a waste of good money!"

like the grandmas way of thinking!!!!

camo