Thread: Celebrated Whisker Razor: provenance?

Anybody know the history of "The Celebrated Whisker Razor"? I recently bought this razor (picture attached) at a flea market with this mark. It's a 4/8 French point. The tang says George Wostenholm & Sons / Celebrated I*XL Razor / Washington Works / Sheffield.

I can't find any good clues when this razor was made. Oddly, I've seen the same "Celebrated Whisker Razor" mark on razors with the name Frederick Reynolds on the tang and/or box. What connection, if any, is there between Reynolds and Wostenholm?

I did find on line a picture of a Reynolds razor with "J. Pratt 1868" hand-inscribed on the scales. However, the history of Frederick Reynolds is pretty murky: some sources say he wasn't in business until decades later!

Welcome to SRP.

Anybody know the history of "The Celebrated Whisker Razor"?

Many companies had narrow(4/8 or less) razors with the same etching.
Whisker Razor you can read as mustache/sideburns razor.
Your razor was made between 1848-1891, closer to 1891. IMO.
I hope these links would be helpful:
Wostenholm, George & Son - Straight Razor Place Wiki
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...pipe-shop.html

the history of Frederick Reynolds is pretty murky

He was in business since early 1840s till his death on 22 October 1877, aged 63.
His son, Richard Reynolds continued the business. And the last was the founder's grandson, Harry Reynolds. And after his death in 1946, aged 56, the company was closed.

Ah, just what I was looking for. Thanks, and esp for the links. Maybe I'll post the pic in the IXL Pipe Shop -- not a spectacular razor, but I didn't see any other French points there, so may be of general interest.

The same razor in the Wostenholm catalog 1885:





Here all scans from that catalog.

Manah is to straight razor info as Michelanglo is to sculpting