Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Timeless Antique and Vintage Father's Day Gifts

    Can you believe it? Mother’s Day is over, but Father's
Ms. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd
Day is just around the corner. It is only three weeks away. Hopefully you have something great planned.
    The history of Father’s Day is not as long as you might think. Some say Father’s Day is over 4000 years old. But the recent history of Father’ Day in the United States makes the date much later.  Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, wondered why there was no Father’s Day, honoring all the wonderful fathers in the world. She then started a movement that would take a half a century to procure. She organized the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on June 19 in 1910.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Antique Razor Revolution

    Razors have been around since before the Bronze Age. In prehistoric times, cave drawings depict blades made of clam shells, shark teeth and flint. During the Bronze Age razors were made from bronze and obsidian. Egyptian priests were shaved every three days and the Greeks and Romans were fastidious about the proper care of facial hair. Through the ages, the razor has gone through many changes. The first modern-day straight
edge razors, with harden steel blades, were made in the 1700s in England. Since then, straight edged razors have evolved. The discovery of silver-steel in the 1820s made the metal used to make the blade of the razor look shiny and by 1840 it had replaced cast steel. Not long after, hollow grinding blades made an appearance, hollow grinding means that the sides of the blades cross-section are concave.
 Extra Hollow Ground, 1888 Germany
Companies began making straight-edge razors with hard steel blades and decorated handles making them fashionable for the wealthy. By 1840, the term 'Old English' and The Celebrated Razor were often used. Sometimes the wedge blade was etched with a beautiful design or picture that commemorated a special event. Carves bone and horn, along with bakelite were often used for the handles.
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