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Paper Moon Newsletter>
Vintage & Antique Shaving Mugs
January 4, 2009
At my age I find there are certain smells and sounds that instantly evoke fond memories of the past and sometimes even give to me a calm, reassuring feelings. One of these is the sound of a shaving brush lightly clinking against the sides of the mug in the early morning hours.
There was just something comforting about being coaxed out of a deep sleep from the sounds of my father preparing for his day, it gave me the reassurance that everything was alright with the world, before I drifted backed to sleep.
Young boys and girls have been awakened by this once familiar sound since the later part of the nineteenth century. Americans started using shaving mugs shortly after the civil war and they remained popular through the 1920’s. Shaving at that time was much different than today. Hot running water was not available so it was brought in from the outside well, heated to a boil on the kitchen stove and carried to the bathroom. Without electricity one was also given to shaving in very poor lighting with no or substandard mirrors. Due to these hardships and the fear of infection from the tiny cuts, those who could afford the 10 cents for a shave would frequent the local barber to meet friends and get a professional shave. Almost every man owned a shaving mug at home or at the barber shop. Regular customers at the barber shop kept their own mugs and utensils in a designated space on the barber’s shelf. Names and numbers were put on the mugs so they could easily be identified. Also those who could afford it had their mugs decorated with beautiful floral scenes, patriotic emblems, fraternal organizations, family crests and scenes depicting their occupation.
The use of the shaving mug began to decline about the time of World War One at which time Gillette introduced it’s safety razor to all of the troops. After the war most man started shaving at home and the daily trip to the local barber became almost obsolete. Some men, such as my grandfather, found it very difficult to give up the use of their shaving mugs and continued using them throughout their lives, and thus kept the tradition to this superior way of shaving alive.
Shaving Mugs have become very collectible over the years with prices ranging from $20 and $5000. The following list will give an example of some of the types of mugs which were used and are collected today.
Scuttle Mug - These were some of the earliest mugs dating back as early as 1870. There shape was that of a coal scuttle, thus the name. Boiling hot water was placed into the deeper basin to dip the brush in. The soap was placed in a bowl near the handle which had several drain wholes to enable the soapy water to drain back down into the basin.
?Decorated Mugs - The decorated mug came with all types of designs either transfered or hand painted. Many of them resemble coffee cups while others have a small partition near the handle to fit half a cake of soap. Many of these mugs were decorated with floral designs, birds, butterflies, etc... and could be found in just about every man’s bathroom. These mugs were usually manufactured in Europe and decorated after they arrived in the United States.
Fraternal Mugs - During this period in history many men belonged to fraternal organizations. One of the reasons fraternal membership was so popular was most of these organizations paid burial fees and death benefits to it’s members. Men took great pride in their fraternal affiliations and thus one can now find shaving mugs representing just about ever organization.
Barber Shop Mugs - Earlier barbers used the same mug for all of their customers until men started developing rashes. It was thought that this rash, commonly known as barber itch, came from using the same soap. The rash actually came from unsterilized razors and not the soap but that was unknown at the time so barbers started selling mugs with their customers name on them. These mugs would be kept at the barber shop in a special mug rack. Almost all mugs in barber shops included the owners name and were generally hand painted.
Occupational Mugs - These are the most coveted shaving mugs for collectors. They are decorated with paintings which depict the owners occupation. Some of the scenes include horses and wagons, tools of the owners trade and some depict scenes of men working at their jobs. They covered almost every occupation, but the majority were for the middle class, so those few mugs that were made for the lower and upper class occupations are very desirable and usually command a hefty price.
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