7 Attachment(s)
A Small Selection of Celluloid Handles with Notes on Designers, Manufacturers, Dates
I was poking around a bit on Google patents and found some interesting stuff regarding a small selection of celluloid handle patterns that you see with some frequency. I'll arrange them below by date of their creation.
But before I get into nitty-gritty of this post, here's what strikes me as the biggest reveal of these design patents: If you've ever wondered who made all those celluloid handles and then sold them to razor makers, here we find two firms operating in the U.S. One is the Celluloid Company (based out of New Jersey) and the other is Wiebusch & Hilger, Limited (based out of New York). I'm sure there were many more companies that made razor handles, but they haven't popped up yet in my searches.
1) Design patented in 1891
Attachment 260926
The man who designed this handle was Marshall C. Lefferts of the Celluloid Company in Jersey. Lefferts seems to have been a major figure in celluloid razor handle design. He owns 4 of the 6 patents in this list. You can read the full patent here.
2) Patented in 1892
Attachment 260930
Everyone on this forum should be well familiar with the man who holds the patent on this design. It's none other than Joseph R. Torrey of the Torrey razor company. You can read the full patent here.
3) Patented in 1895
Attachment 260933
This handle design was patented by one Charles H. Thurber of Wiebusch & Hilger, Limited in New York. You can read the full patent here.
4) 1897
Attachment 260935
Another Marshall C. Lefferts design. Read the full patent here.
5) And finally, 2 more of Lefferts' handle patterns, both patented in 1899.
Attachment 260936
Full patent here.
Attachment 260937
Full patent here.
And, as a bonus, here's one last celluloid-handle-related patent: You know the standard end cap design on celluloid handles? It was patented in 1892 by Frederick A. Clauberg (who, like Torrey, was a razor maker by trade).
Attachment 260938
In the patent, Clauberg states, “The object of my invention is to so reinforce the ordinary light-weight razor-handle... and secure the strength necessary to minimize liability of breakage.” He envisioned his end caps being used on handles of “bone, horn, ivory, celluloid, gutta-percha, and like brittle and frangible substances,” though as far as I know, this end cap design was used exclusively on celluloid and other plastics. (And of course, here's the full patent).
