What brand RAZOR did Oscar Wilde shave with?!

[Gauthier]

They didn't think so much in terms of brands those days. There was a plethora of small manufacturers, whose products were individually distributed. It's like watches: in museums, one encounters many minor/unheard of brands of Swiss watches.

 

[Iridian]

I can't help you one bit.

But I share your admiration of Mr. Wilde, not for his novels (I actually only know Dorian Gray, cough, sorry!) but so many famous and splendid quotes by him, just marvelous. And an even more rare thing: In general I am not into poems, but "Sphinx" and "Requiescat" speak to me. Though I must admit I always thought of cats when reading the poem.

 

[phdezra]

more rare thing: In general I am not into poems, but "Sphinx" and "Requiescat" speak to me. Though I must admit I always thought of cats when reading the poem.

Well, Wilde didn’t write hundreds of poems, it the ones he did are heberallu quite good. Requiescat is probably his #1. Sphinx is a top ten poem, IMHO, but Garden of Eros is “better”.

Importantly his “A Villanelle” shows his unique ability and creative genius to even write a 19 line poem consisting of two rhymes throughout (there are some more “rules” about villanelles but I don’t recall all offhand, nevertheless, quite a challenge to write a good one. (A sonnet is a 14 line poem written I iambic pentameter; villanelle is much harder. Anyway, good on you for enjoying his literary works.

 

[phdezra]

Well, Wilde didn’t write hundreds of poems, it the ones he did are heberallu quite good. Requiescat is probably his #1. Sphinx is a top ten poem, IMHO, but Garden of Eros is “better”.

Importantly his “A Villanelle” shows his unique ability and creative genius to even write a 19 line poem consisting of two rhymes throughout (there are some more “rules” about villanelles but I don’t recall all offhand, nevertheless, quite a challenge to write a good one. (A sonnet is a 14 line poem written I iambic pentameter; villanelle is much harder. Anyway, good on you for enjoying his literary works.

Wow. My grammar and spelling on this one is pathetic. Need to remember not to post when tired/wee hours.

Wish “edit” was available for more than 15 mins (unless Lifetime Contriy?). I think I get 15 minutes to make edits. Mods?

 

[Iridian]

Importantly his “A Villanelle” shows his unique ability and creative genius to even write a 19 line poem consisting of two rhymes throughout (there are some more “rules” about villanelles but I don’t recall all offhand, nevertheless, quite a challenge to write a good one. (A sonnet is a 14 line poem written I iambic pentameter; villanelle is much harder. Anyway, good on you for enjoying his literary works.

Short and meaningful while getting pentameters and hexameters right is indeed an achievement.
And when your latin teacher goes on a cultural discourse about Homer and someone is stupid enough to interject that Homer was Greek, everyone got punished by having to sum up the difference between antique hexameter, the baroque alexandrine and the "German" hexameter in hexameter... English poems work better with iambic pentameter, at least that's what I still remember.

BTW, when I was still in school, the sexual orientation of Wilde and Turing and how they were mistreated because of it was never ever mentioned once. Everything between beginning and end of WW2 except for Stalingrad and Pearl Harbour was also left out completely.

Before I got completely off-topic, nowadays Oscar Wilde would probably shave with a Lambda Athena!

 

[Ankerwycke]

The account is sad to me, really.

I didn't really expect to learn this much about Wilde through his shaving.

Wilde was in Newgate prison for a couple of days at the start of his sentence. It must have been horrendous, Newgate was in use for over 700 years and demolished in 1904.
When he was moved to Pentonville he was passed fit for hard labour and put on the prison treadmill for six hours a day. After four days he suffered a breakdown.
He was eventually transferred to Wandsworth prison, which I don’t think was much better at that time.
The Cat o’ Nine Tails was used at Pentonville up until the 1950s, and at Wandsworth up until the 1960s.

 

[phdezra]

Wilde was in Newgate prison for a couple of days at the start of his sentence. It must have been horrendous, Newgate was in use for over 700 years and demolished in 1904.
When he was moved to Pentonville he was passed fit for hard labour and put on the prison treadmill for six hours a day. After four days he suffered a breakdown.
He was eventually transferred to Wandsworth prison, which I don’t think was much better at that time.
The Cat o’ Nine Tails was used at Pentonville up until the 1950s, and at Wandsworth up until the 1960s.

I am sure there is a biography on him out there somewhere, but this thread has become quite interesting. WOrking backward from the end of his life in 1900....

1. 1900, dies penniless in France
2. 1897, released from prison and moves to Frances (less "gross indecency" issues perhaps that he encountered in England
3. 1895 sentenced to prison, and bounces around a bit for two years in the system
4. 1895, first performance of Importance of Being Earnest in Feb 1895 at the famous St James Theatre (equivalent to having your play being success on Broadway)
5. 1891 writes Dorian Gray, his only novel (first a novella in 1890)
6. Approx 1885-1895 are his PRIME years when he writes his most brilliant works
7. 1886ish: gets divorced, repelled by his wife's second pregnancy
8. 1886, teaches/"reads" at Oxford; introduced to a fellow named Ross, homosexual affair "gross indecency" rumors
9. 1884, marries Ms Lloyd and eventually have two sons
10. 1881, introduced to Mr Lloyd, daughter of a wealthy advisor to the Queen
11. 1881, at 27 yrs old, publishes some poems

Spitballing based on the thread and what I know of his life. OH! There is ONE person alive today who is the only grandchild of Wiklde and Ms Lloyd, his name is Merlin Holland. (Maybe we can invite him on here. )

Wilde seems to have shot to fame, and then shot back down very fast. He died of meningitis after an ear infection, something which would be "easily" curable today. Sad. Not saying he was a saint, but such a shame.

 

[Beto Salatini]

For some reason, my posting (?) was quoted even though I never mentioned Brearley, though, yes, he was a famous British metallurgist. (Harry Brearley - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Brearley). He *is* credited with, as Wikipedia writes "the invention of "rustless steel" (later to be called "stainless steel" in the anglophone world). HOWEVER, I never stated (his name) nor that he worked for Wilkinson. I wish I had bookmarked the article (agree that doesn't mean it is true just because it's on the internet) that discussed the Wilkinson company (source needed) was involved in manufacturing weapons and one of its workers (inventor--once more, genuinely forgetting his name) came up with a rust-free gun barrel.

However, rust-free stainless steel goes to Brearley. (And NO, no mention of Norman Wilkinson (coincidental name) who served in the Royal Navy in WW I.). The History of Stainless Steel | Great Plains Stainless - https://www.gpss.com/history-of-stainless-steel/#:~:text=Rustless%20Steel,barrels%20of%20the%20British%20army : "Harry Brearley invented the first true stainless steel in 1913. He added 12.8% chromium to iron, and produced a metal that he found was resistant to both corrosion and rust. Brearley discovered this metal while looking for a solution to the problem of erosion in the gun barrels of the British army."

You are correct (maybe) in that "Wilkinson Sword" never made gun barrels, but wait! Henry Nock (another British inventor) founded a gun manufacturing company in the late 1700s. THAT company, while not called "Wilkinson" (yet), produced MANY different kinds of goods: typewriters, swords, bayonets, garden tools, scissors, etc.

I think the potential confusion is that when Nock died in early 1800s, his "adopted" son-in-law, James Wilkinson, supposedly inherited the company and, naturally, renamed it James Wilkinson & Son, which eventually became Wilkinson Sword Co in the 1890s (and yes, went on to produce blades, right?). There is no doubt that Nock's company was the beginning of the Wilkinson Sword company that would eventually produce great blades.

Soooooooooo, you are correct (somewhat; gentlemanly-like, agree to disagree on some minor points, please):

"Harry Brearley? He didn't work for Wilkinson (agree), and Wilkinson never made gun barrels" (not quite true since they DID make guns (Nock founded the company on this basis) and all kinds of other equipment, as is well documented in many places)

​

"He worked for Firths Browns, or whatever they were called back then. He wasn't even trying to create a rust free steel. That was a complete fluke. He was trying to improve wear resistance at high temperatures."​

​

"There's a local urban myth that scrapped jobs got lobbed in the River Don on the nightshift, and it was low river levels that revealed the still shiny steel. Utter nonsense." I completely agree; IDK where you got this from, but yes, it's nonsense.​

REGARDLESS, some people still love Wilkinson blades to this date, even if they let the competition fly past them.


Oscar Wilde

Oh! As for Wilde? Such wit and genius; certainly in his literature prime. Undoubtedly, he had extraordinary flamboyance (just look at the historical photos (for instance, my avatar of him!) during his heyday (1885-1895, oddly enough, 1895 was the same year he went to prison and also the same year in which The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed at the famous St. James Theatre in London,

HOWEVER, fast forward: he died penniless in France in 1900, after having spent time two years in prison that concluded in mid-1897 (so, prison from 1895-1897 or so). When he was up-and-coming in the (late) 1880s and in his prime early-mid 1890s of writing high brow literature, he likely (maybe) had others tend to most of his grooming, but that would have waned by the time he was entering prison, shunned for gross indecency at the time in society.

As an aside, Wilde's best work, IMHO, is Picture of Dorian Gray (first a novella in 1890, before a longer novel in 1891), though most rank that behind Importance of Being Earnest. Actually, Dorian Gray was really his *only* novel, as I believe he wrote Importance of Being Earnest as a play in the fist place, not a novel.

Cheers.

Many years ago, when I lived in London for a while, I had the opportunity to attend a performance of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by the National Theater at the Barbican. On that occasion I asked myself how they would translate the title into Portuguese, since they needed a masculine first name that was also an adjective. I researched and discovered that there was a version of the play in Portuguese with the title: A Importancia de Ser Prudente (which in addition to the adjective prudent is also a Portuguese first name)…

Congrats for the thread!

Cheers!

 

[phdezra]

I researched and discovered that there was a version of the play in Portuguese with the title: A Importancia de Ser Prudente (which in addition to the adjective prudent is also a Portuguese first name)…

Interesting. I asked my superintendent, who is from Portugal, and he said "the translation chould be A importância de ser sincero." HOWEVER, I looked on Amazon out of curiosity if they have a Portuguese edition, and indeed they do, named "A Importância de Ser Ernesto" https://a.co/d/27imgha, though frankly I like "Prudente" in the title, unless it changes the meaning/intent?).

 

[Beto Salatini]

Interesting. I asked my superintendent, who is from Portugal, and he said "the translation chould be A importância de ser sincero." HOWEVER, I looked on Amazon out of curiosity if they have a Portuguese edition, and indeed they do, named "A Importância de Ser Ernesto" Amazon.com - https://a.co/d/27imgha, though frankly I like "Prudente" in the title, unless it changes the meaning/intent?).

It seems that in Brazil the name of the play (and the book) was “The Importance of Being Prudent”.
However, the title of the 1952 film was translated as “A Importancia de Ser Honesto”. Honesto, around here it’s an adjective but not a first name.
There is also a third translation entitled “A Importancia de Se Chamar Ernesto”. Ernesto is a first name, but not an adjective…
The edition you found on British Amazon was possibly published in Portugal.

Prudente slightly changes the meaning of the adjective, as it means prudent and not honest or sincere, but it is both, a name and an adjetive, therefore maintains the double meaning...

 

[Juanmosey]

Hello and welcome.

Churchill was 25 at the time of Wilde's death. He was at this point a national hero, having escaped Boer captivity during the opening stages of the war. His escape in 1900 ensured national celebrity.

He had been commisioned into the Hussars in 1895, and had participated in several military campaigns, including being part of the last ever British massed cavalry charge at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.

By 1900 Churchill was a highly successful journalist and author with significant military experience throughout the Empire and as far afield as Cuba. After his escape in 1900 he was elected to parliament for the first time, beginning a rather notable political career.

Young Churchill enjoyed the finer things in life, from the finest champagnes and brandies, (which he took large quantities of on his campaigns and journalistic adventures) to the first semi automatic pistols. He carried a Mauser C96 when he was captured in 1899. Good shaving soap would have been an inevitable part of his assemblage.

Churchill used the Valet Autostrop safety razor for much of his life, as he had a love of new technology. Here is a later vingnette of Churchill, probably dating to the 1930's

"After getting out of bed, Winston “moves toward the bathroom with an alacrity surprising for his age and weight and quickly shaves himself with a safety razor while his valet draws the first of his two daily baths.” Churchill thoroughly enjoys soaking in the warm water, and lolls about, “reciting Kipling, rehearsing speeches or lectures he will soon deliver, or singing, not in the virile baritone familiar in Parliament, but in a soft, high tone.” After his bath, he puts on either a blue velvet dressing gown, or one made of green and gold silk with a dragon emblazoned on the front."

Two baths a day. Interesting.

 

[phdezra]

Two baths a day. Interesting.

I would that would dry out the skin, terribly. Unless, a) wasn’t really “two baths a day” going on or b) was using tallow all over.

 

[phdezra]

It seems that in Brazil the name of the play (and the book) was “The Importance of Being Prudent”.
However, the title of the 1952 film was translated as “A Importancia de Ser Honesto”. Honesto, around here it’s an adjective but not a first name.
There is also a third translation entitled “A Importancia de Se Chamar Ernesto”. Ernesto is a first name, but not an adjective…
The edition you found on British Amazon was possibly published in Portugal.

Prudente slightly changes the meaning of the adjective, as it means prudent and not honest or sincere, but it is both, a name and an adjetive, therefore maintains the double meaning...


View attachment 1778269View attachment 1778270View attachment 1778271

Fascinating photos @Beto Salatini

Worth nothing that the full name of Wildes’s play was “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” so I believe Wilde either a) had “serious” in mind as the synonym for “Earnest” or b) it was a play on words (it was a farcical comedy after all).

In any case, the opening night was a huge success, but ironically enough, was the beginning of the end for Wilde himself.

 

[Beto Salatini]

Fascinating photos @Beto Salatini

Worth nothing that the full name of Wildes’s play was “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” so I believe Wilde either a) had “serious” in mind as the synonym for “Earnest” or b) it was a play on words (it was a farcical comedy after all).

In any case, the opening night was a huge success, but ironically enough, was the beginning of the end for Wilde himself.

Thank you very much, dear friend!
It's a shame that his life ended tragically. Some years ago I stayed at L’ Hotel in Paris for a few days, in the Oscar Wilde Suite, in the room where he supposedly passed away. I could feel a heavy atmosphere in that air…

 

[Juanmosey]

Thank you very much, dear friend!
It's a shame that his life ended tragically. Some years ago I stayed at L’ Hotel in Paris for a few days, in the Oscar Wilde Suite, in the room where he supposedly passed away. I could feel a heavy atmosphere in that air…

That is very interesting.

 

[Beto Salatini]

That is very interesting.

That's probably where he mentioned the wallpaper...

 

[Ankerwycke]

Around the time that Wilde was living in Chelsea, Williams were advertising the benefits of their shaving soap as a shampoo. This could have accounted for his luxuriant locks.

 

[Frito Ray]

A remarkable rocket perhaps.

 

[Alum of Potash]

For what it's worth, after reading this interesting thread, I did a search with my laptop's Windows AI program with the query "How did Oscar Wilde shave?" And this is what the reply was:

I found a forum post on Badger & Blade that suggests Oscar Wilde might have used a Wilkinson straight razor to shave 1. According to the same post, self-shaving was becoming more popular in Wilde’s time, but barbers were still doing a lot of shaving 1. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any more information on how he shaved.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

 

[phdezra]

Thank you very much, dear friend!
It's a shame that his life ended tragically. Some years ago I stayed at L’ Hotel in Paris for a few days, in the Oscar Wilde Suite, in the room where he supposedly passed away. I could feel a heavy atmosphere in that air

1) There's a small plaque on the wall outside L'Hôtel mentioning that Oscar lived at the end of his life [NOTE: it is rumored that he was penniless; if so, how was he staying at such a luxurious (even back then) hotel!?!) and died here (think: long-term residence, very similar to Chopin who lived (briefly, forgot where I read it) upstairs at a an inn of some kind that had a piano downstairs (this is different than the Chopin story about how he played a piano at an inn and he kept playing and playing all afternoon, and when he left they filled his carriage with goodies). ANYWAY, the plaque on the outside of the hotel (photo below) reads, for those not up to date on their French:

Oscar Wilde​

Poéte et Dramaturge​

Né a Dublin​

Le 15 October 1856​

E mort dans cette maison​

Le 30 November 1900​

​

Oscar Wilde​

Poet and playwright​

Born in Dublin​

October 15, 1856​

Died in this house [L'hotel is not mentioned by name, though this plaque is on the building)​

November 30, 1900​

2) I found the photo below through a quick search on "Wildes room in L'hotel where he died" and it showed me the photo below. I am guessing though that this is NOT the original wallpaper, and the entire room has been redone?

3) L'hotel, for those who have been and enjoy architecture and history (it was built in 1828 after all!), has MORE than one plaque on it. There's at least one more similar plaque that states Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges lived there for a while, too. That plaque states:

Ici vécut​

Jorge Luis Borges​

1899-1986​

Ecrivain Argentin​

Lors de ses frequents sejours​

A Paris de 1977 A 1984​

​

Here lived​

Jorge Luis Borges​

1899-1986​

Argentinian writer​

During his frequent stays​

In Paris from 1977 to 1984​

4) Finally, you can book a stay at L'Hotel online these days. Intimate and private, L’Hotel is one of the smallest five star hotels in Paris and has been a secret hideaway over the past two centuries for many famous faces. - https://www.l-hotel.com/. I put in dates if I flew there in a week (Sunday, 21 January) to stay over from 22 Jan to 28 Jan (Mon-Sun), the reservation system shows me lowest available is Bijoux (Jewelry) room, which is 18 sq meter (equally to roughly 195 sq feet (not that large!!!!! The size of the average American hotel room is 300 sq ft; 50% larger!) : €2,930.00 total for 6 nights (approx $3200), "VAT Included". Good grief. That is $500/night.

Compare that to the Millenium Hotel in Times Square, for a room of similar size (238 sq ft = 22 sq mtrs) is $157/night = approx $1300 total!​

Cheers