Thread: A Rare Find?

A lovely razor and one I would love to own!

I have no doubt it was made in england, but probably by french prisoners during the Napoleonic wars. Some of those prisons were little more than large fenced-off fields, where the soldiers were just confined, but led their own existence inside. Sometimes entire villages were given 'parole' status and some frenchmen became minor celebrities.To make extra money they made all sorts of things to sell to the locals and visitors, among which - notably - were these 'papillon' style razors.



The razor below is in the Thiers museum collection - they were also made by noted french manufacturers and were included in the catalogues of some of them:



Razor, model guillotines, ships in bottles, etc, etc were made and sold. There is an interesting book by french prisoner Louis Garneray recording his nine years afloat on a british prison hulk (an old ship moored off the coast and serving as a prison). He was confined off Portsmouth from 1806. As well as the usual gamblers, bullies and thieves, he makes mention of artists, playwrights and those earning money from trading. He also tells of how battles were fought with razors tied to sticks!

Regards,
Neil