"She's all dolled up to a fare-you-well to-night," continued Clark. "Notice that fellow she's with?" "Big fella? White pants?" "Yeah. Well, that's Ogden Merritt from Savannah. Old man Merritt makes the Merritt safety razors." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Tender is the Night", 1934 It occurred to me in looking at my vintage razor hit list just how many of my favorite designs date from the same period. If I were to step back to my grandfather's day, in 1934 a young attorney with a two year old daughter, looking at a list of potential Christmas gifts to suggest to my grandmother, that list could include: Gillette Aristocrat (New, Good Will) Schick Model C Gem Micro-matic Enders Speed Shaver Ronson Razor Cooper Monobilt Segal Unimatic/Schaeffer DeHaven No.3 Valet Autostrop VC2 Barbasol Floating Head ...And that's just some American razors off the top of my head. Beautifully designed razors all. I don't think there was a better point in time. Any other suggestions? It wasn't a bad year for automobiles either. Or refrigerators for that matter. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Bingo. I knew I'd forgotten a big one, that was it. 1932-34 I believe. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Indeed. If you're a Zippo fan, a buddy of mine from SE Asia literally wrote the book. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C7GIMWS/?tag=thshde-20 Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
1934arker Challenger. I believe my grandfather had one of these. Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Fully aware that life in 1934, even for the well off, was full of as many stresses and fears as our day is...just different ones. Influenza, polio, economic uncertainty, apparently endless war in Europe, rapidly changing morals at home, on and on and on. And still I have to wonder if, for all that, it still would have been a somehow simpler day to have lived in. Great thread, please keep it up!
Speaking of morals...a glorious window in time, not Just for Schick razors... ..Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the brief era in the American film industry between the introduction of sound pictures in 1929 and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known as the "Hays Code", in mid-1934. Although the Code was adopted in 1930, oversight was poor and it did not become rigorously enforced until July 1, 1934, with the establishment of the Production Code Administration (PCA)... http://pre-codes.tumblr.com/
It is said some people used typewriters. "There was not a sound except the dull scrape of the razor along its wielder's face and the intermittent groaning sound that blew in out of the sea.." Some wrote about writing. It should be remembered that Hemingway dismissed the tragic potential of the safety razor. http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/04/forget-your-personal-tragedy.html?m=1 Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
