Thread: Did our grandfathers shave with blunt razors?

It’s not the first time this topic has been discussed here. I find this article from The Atlantic very informative. Although I am not sure I can agree with the fear of cutting ones throat part.

Where the enlightened 18th century had favored a civilized, clean-shaven look, men of the mid-19th century preferred the untamed appearance of the rugged conqueror. But while facial hair ultimately became a potent symbol of mastery, it didn’t start out that way. If anything, men first adopted beards in a desperate attempt to alleviate the painfulness of their morning toilet.

Without the assistance of their former barbers, shavers had to contend with the 19th-century straight razor. A delicate and temperamental tool, its paper-thin blade required regular, careful maintenance. Even the simplest misstep could ruin it, turning the morning shave into a tug-of-war between men and their facial hair. Still, this was preferable to the alternatives. Men were known to die of tetanus after using an ill-kept blade—Henry David Thoreau’s brother John was one of them. And many lived in fear of cutting their own throats.

Originally Posted by Badgister

It’s not the first time this topic has been discussed here. I find this article from The Atlantic very informative. Although I am not sure I can agree with the fear of cutting ones throat part.

That reminds me of when we were searching the death records in a small town outside of Belfast looking for my Wife's relatives. We were surprised at the cause of death listed on may records as something like "accidentally slit throat while shaving". Then again suicide was strictly frowned upon back then for religious reasons. Still, maybe a few actually did do it accidentally.

Bob

Many thanks for all the well thought out replies.
Photographs of both my grandfathers taken around the turn of the century (the one before last) show them both as clean shaven with a moustache. Likewise my wife's grandparents were clean shaven. My maternal grandfather would have had access to a barber. My paternal grandfather was a country blacksmith/agricultural engineer with no barber nearby. It's likely their hair was cut by their wives to save money.

Well, my ancestors are from Baghdad, and I remember my grandfather shaved with a DE. I once cut myself with a DE blade as child going through his medicine cabinet.

The generations before would get shaved at the barber, and in Baghdad men would often get shaved by the street barber.

Street Barber at Work,Baghdad. Library of Congress 1932

Originally Posted by Badgister

It’s not the first time this topic has been discussed here. I find this article from The Atlantic very informative. Although I am not sure I can agree with the fear of cutting ones throat part.

I live in fear of the wife cutting my throat.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

I live in fear of the wife cutting my throat.

You only have to fear that outcome if you give her a good excuse for doing so.

Originally Posted by RayClem

You only have to fear that outcome if you give her a good excuse for doing so.

Ha! What with home schooling, making a proton pack for my Ghostbusters obsessed boy and decorating I'm keeping out the way. Happy wife, happy life

My Great Grandfather was an immigrant from Sicily. He had a big handlebar mustache but kept his beard shaved clean. A life as a a West Virginia coal miner eventually took his eye sight and his children kept him looking pretty. There is great debate about where his straight razor went, and I am hoping that my mother can talk her cousins out of the thing.

A few years back, I came across a shaving set-up from someone who had used it in Milwaukee, Wisc. It consisted of a Solingen razor, a Carborundum hone, a Frictionite 00 double-sided barber's hone, and a loom strop, one side pasted. An original sales receipt for a couple of items was there, dating to the mid-1950s. The set-up showed regular use, and I concluded that this was the guy's "complete set-up" at the time. I've kept the set together and only used these hones and strop to maintain shaving with it by way of a reference. Does it give me the best shaves I've ever had? No. But the shaves are otherwise good enough.

My Mother has told me about her Father stropping his straight razor regularly, but he did not have a hone.
I doubt if he went ATG or ever got BBS ??

Edit : Just found out that he had a butchers shop so maybe he must of had access to some kind of stones..
Trivia :He lost the tips of his fingers on a bacon slicing machine after it had been cleaned and assembled by Jim Lea (apprentice butcher) ..Later of the band "Slade" ( you know that god awful xmas tune) .. haha