Shaving Basin
Periodca. 1750 - 1770
Place MadeEngland
MediumBrass
Dimensions11 in. (27.9 cm) diameter at rim
MarkingsSmall hallmark punched into rim at left corner of neck cutout (see photograph)
ClassificationsPersonal Care
Credit LineMarshall P. Blankarn Purchasing Fund
Object number1990.503
DescriptionA circular brass shaving basin, with a shallow center bowl. The deep 4" rim is slightly flared, with a rim rolled under and around a brass wire for reinforcement. There is a large semicircular cutout in the rim, measuring 3" by 4". A hanging loop is soldered to the underside.Curatorial RemarksBeards, mustaches, and other facial hair was somewhat uncommon in colonial Ameriica. Beards were considered unfashionable and unhygenic, and even common working men either shaved themselves or visited a local barber for a shave every few days.The first fifteen American presidents were clean-shaven. A survey of runaway advertisments, however, does indicate that at least a portion of the male population did in fact have beards, seeming to indicate at least a partial ethnic influence as well as socio-economic barriers to affording routine shaving. Irish and German indentured servants were often described as wearing "full beards," "slight beards," or "short beards." Some enslaved men were also described as wearing beards. During the American Revolution, Hessian soldiers were often described as sporting heavy mustaches, another ethnic influence. In contrast, soldiers in the Continental Army were often directed to shave often to maintain a tidy, neat appearance. By the mid 19th century, facial hair grew rapidly in popularity, in part due to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's German-born husband, whose facial hair quickly set fashionable standards for the cultivation of facial hair.
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