Thread: George Butlers Whistler razor?

Hey Guys

I saw a razor at a antique store the other day called Butlers Whistler (and i'm pretty sure shefield england was on one side of the tang) and then the box said george butlers on it, has anyone heard of this brand before? I think it was under $20, a good deal? had some tarnish but nothing serious, no chips in it as i remember.

thanks guys

orfeo

i've had no problems withthe two butler razors that i have had... they were both trinity works andhad pictures of shakespeare on them and a quote from "love's labor lost" or some such twaddle. the razors shaved fairly nicely

Thanks Jim

have you ever heard of the Whistler name being attached to the george butler name? is this a variation on the brand, i was assuming it wasn't a rip off but i wouldn't know.

orfeo

The Butler family were registered with the Cutlers' Company of Hallamshire in Sheffield since the seventeenth century. They took over Steer & Webster's Castle Hill Works, Trinity Street, and their "Key" trademark, in 1681. The "Art" trademark was granted in 1861. They were the largest employers in the Sheffield cutlery industry between 1810 & 1814.
The Butlers' business was taken over by the Andrew family and in 1864 moved to larger premises in Eyre Street, formerly occupied by Corsan, Denton & Burdekin. They named it the "Trinity Works". By 1890 the company employed around 400 and manufactured all forms of cutlery, using modern steam-powered machinery.
Butler's cutlery had an excellent reputation at home, in Austalia and in India. The Butler's "Keen" razor was described in the press of the day as a "distinctly special article". It was ground in-house by the firm's own workmen.
The company went into liquidation in 1952, was re-started by Levington then sold to, in turn, Ingersoll, Heron, Coloroll, Guy Degrenne of France, then Arthur Price of England who bought it in 1993 to close it down as competition. The Butler name is still used by Arthur Price of England for a range of table cutlery.

Unfortunately, I do not have any information in the "Whistler" brand, but I hope the background information is of interest.

Duncan.

wow duncan, that's some amazing detail, it's interesting to see how a simple thing like a razor can have so much history to it, thanks

orfeo

Thats what happened to those razors!!
Thats the set that Whistlers Mother gave to her son!

Originally Posted by JMS

Thats what happened to those razors!!
Thats the set that Whistlers Mother gave to her son!

It is probably sad that I get it...