Shaving Mugs ~

I have a few childhood memories of watching my Grandfather stand before a mirror in the kitchen, shaving with a straight razor, shaving mug and brush. My memories are too vague to recall the exact type of cup he used, but I was so excited to run across one recently at the Goodwill for only 50 cents!

 In the days when hot water wasn't available inside most households, men used a shaving mug or scuttle to provide hot lather. Shaving mugs looked like regular mugs or cups, except they had a built-in soap holder. A scuttle looked more like a teapot, with a wide spout where hot water was poured in. Both mugs and scuttles usually had handles, although some did not. Below are a couple examples of scuttles, so you can see how they differ from shaving mugs.

 Shaving scuttles courtesy Google images.

Early shaving mugs were traditionally used with a hard block of soap (instead of shaving cream or soft soap,) and therefore they had drain holes in the soap holder. Later mugs didn't have the holes so they could be used with creams. Therefore my shaving mug must be old! It has no markings on the bottom.

Hot water would be placed in the "cup" portion of the mug. Then the shaving brush would be dunked into it to soak up the water. One would then take the brush and rub it against the soap (placed where the holes are) and excess water would drain back into the cup. When I did research for my previous post about mustache cups (which can be found HERE,) I learned that some people mistake shaving mugs for mustache cups. Here you can see the difference:

Mustache Cup

Shaving cup

I find both fascinating examples of a bygone era, and can't imagine most men of today using them!



Have you had any lucky finds at the Goodwill or thrift shops lately?

Until next time,

Cindy

Linking to:
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

         Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Mustache Cups ~

I'd heard of them ~ mustache cups ~ but never actually seen one until I bought this one a couple weeks ago during my first visit to Jeffrey's Antique Gallery in Findlay, Ohio, which is the largest antique mall in Northwest Ohio. Their website can be found HERE. Mustache cups are one of those interesting items that, at one time, were very common, so when I saw this one, I couldn't pass it up. They have a semi-circular ledge inside the cup that served to keep men's mustache's dry while sipping tea or coffee.

A little history: mustaches became very popular during the American Civil War and Victorian era. Men would melt a little bit of wax in a pan, and using a special comb, carefully apply the wax to their mustache. It was quite a problem for men prior to the invention of the cups, as the wax would soften, and sometimes melt and drip into the coffee or tea, and fair-haired men's mustaches would become stained. We're talking about some serious, heavy-duty mustaches in those days. Just one example:

John Haskell-King, Civil War Photo

The mustache cup was invented by an English potter named Harvey Adams in 1830. My cup has no manufacturer's mark on the bottom, so I have no way of knowing its' age.  It has a lovely design, though, of purple and pale yellow flowers.

For more history and information on mustache cups, click HERE.

Until next time, thanks for visiting!

Cindy

Linking to:
Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups
A Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Tea Cup Thursday at Miss Spencer's Blog
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home