...or is it?
Here is another recent find, coming out of The Dalles, OR, a small town about an hour and a half east of Portland. The shop owner told me she found this brush at a thrift store in Portland, surely not one of my normal spots as I've only found a few common Gillettes and the like on my local hunts. I have or have owned several vintage Simpson brushes and over a dozen Chubby models, with one dating back to before World War II when Simpson was located in London. This example is special, though, and has a very interesting history as discovered after receiving it.
I have never, ever seen a brush with this handle design. It reminds me what the offspring of what a Beaufort and Chubby would render. The knot follows classic Chubby guidelines though, with an overstuffed knot full of gorgeous badger hair measuring 29mm in diameter with a 54mm loft. The key to this unique brush is in it's original importer, Oviatt's. Oviatt's was a large retail store in Los Angeles, CA that originally specialized in Mens clothing and accessories. The namesake of the company, James Oviatt, was an avid promoter of European quality goods and even more specifically, English clothing and haberdashery. He would travel regularly to find the best manufacturer's, using the best materials and then would hire them to manufacture their specialty items under the Oviatt name. From top of the line wool suits, to high quality hats and apparently bespoke Simpson brushes.
A different view on those unique lines
Super dense, infamous Chubby knot
(Left to Right: NOS Chubby 3, Oviatt's #12, Hoffritz 102)
The rest of my Chubby 2 family
I have had the opportunity to use this brush about a half dozen times and it's personality matches it's unique shape. I adore vintage Simpson knots, with many of them sharing characteristics of the much desired vintage Plisson High Mountain White hair, that is, uber soft tips with great resiliency. This brush's knot, however, is quite different displaying many characteristics of a modern "Manchurian" brush. Very strong backbone that splays very little unless forced. The tips are scrubby without any pokey or scratchy hairs irritating my sensitive face. I have never experienced a vintage Simpson brush with a knot like this, apparently Mr. Oviatt requested more than just a unique handle shape. I don't know how many brushes were imported under the Oviatt brand, but I do know that if I run across another I won't hesitate to purchase, immediately!
Here is another recent find, coming out of The Dalles, OR, a small town about an hour and a half east of Portland. The shop owner told me she found this brush at a thrift store in Portland, surely not one of my normal spots as I've only found a few common Gillettes and the like on my local hunts. I have or have owned several vintage Simpson brushes and over a dozen Chubby models, with one dating back to before World War II when Simpson was located in London. This example is special, though, and has a very interesting history as discovered after receiving it.
I have never, ever seen a brush with this handle design. It reminds me what the offspring of what a Beaufort and Chubby would render. The knot follows classic Chubby guidelines though, with an overstuffed knot full of gorgeous badger hair measuring 29mm in diameter with a 54mm loft. The key to this unique brush is in it's original importer, Oviatt's. Oviatt's was a large retail store in Los Angeles, CA that originally specialized in Mens clothing and accessories. The namesake of the company, James Oviatt, was an avid promoter of European quality goods and even more specifically, English clothing and haberdashery. He would travel regularly to find the best manufacturer's, using the best materials and then would hire them to manufacture their specialty items under the Oviatt name. From top of the line wool suits, to high quality hats and apparently bespoke Simpson brushes.
A different view on those unique lines
Super dense, infamous Chubby knot
(Left to Right: NOS Chubby 3, Oviatt's #12, Hoffritz 102)
The rest of my Chubby 2 family
I have had the opportunity to use this brush about a half dozen times and it's personality matches it's unique shape. I adore vintage Simpson knots, with many of them sharing characteristics of the much desired vintage Plisson High Mountain White hair, that is, uber soft tips with great resiliency. This brush's knot, however, is quite different displaying many characteristics of a modern "Manchurian" brush. Very strong backbone that splays very little unless forced. The tips are scrubby without any pokey or scratchy hairs irritating my sensitive face. I have never experienced a vintage Simpson brush with a knot like this, apparently Mr. Oviatt requested more than just a unique handle shape. I don't know how many brushes were imported under the Oviatt brand, but I do know that if I run across another I won't hesitate to purchase, immediately!
