Went into London to visit the Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum on Wednesday and saw some cool old razors. It would have been more interesting if I was into straights, which there were plenty of, including some exquisite examples in the silver section of the V&A.
What I really liked about the Science Museum was the exhibits on the British home throughout the ages; various glass cases with the standard sorts of things one might find in a typical home of the era, arranged by decade. Honestly there weren't many razors, just a few straights, a Wilkinson Sword auto strop (I think) plus a safety razor with a thin single blade from 1902 or thereabouts, with the tag "Gillette introduces the safety razor" and the date. I didn't recognize this razor at all: it resembled a spindly metal Atra (long, very slim and angled at the top) and had a single blade which was half the width of a DE. It was in fact thinner and less substantial than any razor (old or modern) I've ever seen. Anyone know what this is?
The coolest thing for me razor-wise was in the "plastics" exhibit, in the bakelite section: a perfect bakelite case with a nickel Gillette NEW inside. I like the fact that I shave with a razor that is identical to one that sits in a museum case.
Sorry, no pictures.
What I really liked about the Science Museum was the exhibits on the British home throughout the ages; various glass cases with the standard sorts of things one might find in a typical home of the era, arranged by decade. Honestly there weren't many razors, just a few straights, a Wilkinson Sword auto strop (I think) plus a safety razor with a thin single blade from 1902 or thereabouts, with the tag "Gillette introduces the safety razor" and the date. I didn't recognize this razor at all: it resembled a spindly metal Atra (long, very slim and angled at the top) and had a single blade which was half the width of a DE. It was in fact thinner and less substantial than any razor (old or modern) I've ever seen. Anyone know what this is?
The coolest thing for me razor-wise was in the "plastics" exhibit, in the bakelite section: a perfect bakelite case with a nickel Gillette NEW inside. I like the fact that I shave with a razor that is identical to one that sits in a museum case.
Sorry, no pictures.
... a little messy though.
