France not French
Brittain, Wilkinson & Brownell, 1800-1815
Thomas Scargill
Thomas Scargill, 1815-1820
Lummus Dots
Henry Lummus’ categorization cipher, colored dots with a number. Pile side of Hives razor, 1800-1810.
Wade & Butcher Special
Wade & Butcher Special, 1910
Lord Byron Razor
Wade & Butcher “Lord Byron Razor”, 1910
Byron’s Box
“Lord Byron Razor” display box, detail.
Elliot, 1815
Joseph Elliot, 1815
Bataille Semainier
Bataille, 1807. Semainier, or 7 Day set with interchangeable blades, missing one.
Officer’s Kit
Martin-Guillaume Biennais, officer’s field kit, 1811
W. Greaves
William Greaves, Acier Fondu, 1780’s
Wostenholm
George Wostenholm, 1870’s
Zepp Ern
Ern and Zepp, 1909.
Wootz Rodgers Restore
Joseph Rodgers, Wootz “Indian Steel” stamp, 1830’s.
Wolferman
Wolferman(?) in pressed horn scales by Woofindin, 1810-1815
E. L. & Co, Masonic 1840’s
Edward Leon & Company, 1840’s. Masonic etch, very large blade.
John Barber, pique ivory
John Barber in fancy pique-work, carved ivory scales. Originally part of a 7-day set, the spine is etched ‘Thursday’. Late 1820’s.
Barberosa Detail
Two John Barber razors, 1820’s. One in carved ivory with silver pique the other in black horn.
Wade & Butcher ‘The Arrow Razor’
Manufactured by Wade & Butcher. ‘The Arrow Razor’, with original box. 1905.
The Arrow Razor
Jonathan Crookes, India Steel
1850’s Jonathan Crookes, double concave grind, transparent horn scales.
Edward Allison, black horn
Made by Edward Allison in the early 1830’s. The side of the spine is etched ‘Warranted To Shave Well’, the tang is stamped ‘Allison’ with a WR crown stamp.
1830’s Gebruder Dittmar
Obscure German manufacturer, Gebruder Dittmar, from Heilbronn. 1830’s frameback with unusual German silver-clad tang.
7 Day Rodgers
Biennais Pair
Martin-Guillaume Biennais, 1811. Ivory with silver hardware. Stamped ‘Au Singe Violet’ — ‘The Purple Monkey’, Biennais’ mark.
Heljestrand Pair
Carl Victor Heljestrand, 1906. From a 7-day set, in tortoiseshell, sold at Magnus Kindal’s Paris store.
Green & Pickslay
Green & Pickslay, ‘Peruvian’. Made in 1826 from an alloy derived from Faraday & Stodart’s metallurgy experiments, consisting of India steel, iridium and rhodium. Cased pair made for William Archbald, a writer living in Kelso, Scotland.
Joseph Rodgers, Fine Indian Steel
Joseph Rodgers, 1830’s. Blade is stamped ‘Fine Indian Steel’. Scales are Macassar ebony.
Biennais, Napoleonic Officer’s Kit
Circa 1812. Napoleonic Field Officer’s kit with mirror, scissors, mahogany box and two ivory scaled razors stamped ‘Au Singe Violette’, the mark of Napoleon’s court goldsmith, Martin-Guillaume Biennais.
Bataille semainier, detail
Detail of the tooling on the Bataille semainier box. Morocco leather with gold leaf.
Oh So Sweeny
Greaves & Sons, Sheaf Works
Greaves & Sons, Lexington
France in Brittain
Wostenholm, 1870’s
George Marsden
“Magnum Bonum” razors, manufactured by George Marsden. 1810-1815
Captain Cox
Joseph Haywood 7-day set, 1880’s, engraved to ‘Captain Cox’.
Captain Cox
Edward Allison
Edward Allison, bone scales with silver pique. 1830-1834.
George Hammond, 1840’s
Wades
Two razors by Robert Wade, 1814-1820.
Packwood
Razor manufactured for George Packwood’s posthumous business, 1830. Unknown manufacturer.
Jaques Lecoultre
M & M Stamp
Celebrated Old Etchings
Clauss, Lily of the Valley
Fancy Clauss display box with Lily of the Valley pattern scales. 1905
Ascher Masonic
T. Ascher, Masonic etch, 1840’s.
Maher & Grosh “Trusty”
Elliots
Two Joseph Elliot razors, 1840’s.
Joseph Elliot, Philadelphia
Joseph Elliot razor in fancy pressed horn ‘Philadelphia’ scales, one of a series that included Boston, New York, and possibly others.
Celebrated Old Army Razor engraving
“D Wilson, Woodstock, Ohio”
Wade & Butcher
The Celebrated Old Army Razors, 1776. Made in the early 1850’s, both with a personalized engraving on the pile side.
Salamander
My first straight razor. Salamander Works, Solingen. Around 1918.
Marshes & Shepherd for J. Bement
Corrosive History
The toll of 180 years.
Stodart Pair
Made by James Stodart’s nephew, David between 1823 and 1830. Experimental alloys of steel mixed with iridium & osmium, and steel plus rhodium.
Strange Jimps
Unusual jimping on razors by Edward Allison (1830-1834), James Barlow (1805-1812) and Lawrence (London, 1820’s).