This is not about scuttles, I understand them. The soap sits in the upper dish and the brush in the side spout. Some older mugs have a small inner area with drain holes. How do you use those? Perhaps they hold a chip of soap and you load the brush, or it could be a brush rest. Has anyone used this style?
Not certain but I think a sliver of soap is supposed to sit on the shallow side. Then the cup is filled with hot water from the kettle and functions basically like a sink, where you soak & rinse the brush, or add water if needed. Those older mugs were used when running hot water was a luxury.
this may be a bit off topic but I just dont understand something...why do so many (most of what I have seen) vintage shaving mugs have floral patterns?...I mean they were made for men so why would a man what a cup with flowers on it?...am I to young to understand?
Botany was a popular pastime in the nineteenth century with men. Keeping gardens, identifying and pressing wild flowers & ferns. I suppose it was kind of like a zen-like thing. Aside from floral mugs, there were lots of occupational themes, as well as plain mugs with owners name in gilded letters.
Maybe that is a mustache cup? It does look a little heavier than a drinking mug, though. From this May 6, 2000 article in the Tulsa World: Mustache Cups vs Shaving Mugs buying guide on eBay says pretty much the same thing. This article on Sharpologist has some pictures of mustache cups at the bottom, in case it helps.
That makes sense, as a mug would be part of the household decor. Really, it was just the aesthetics of the time, and not all shaving mugs had floral designs. Transferware mugs from 1800s often show pastoral scenes or other non-floral designs. As best as I can tell, the mugs kept in barbershops were occupational mugs rather than those featuring flowers.
lol...that was totally my thinking...and then I got to thinking that "man cave's" were not really a thing then, nor was his/her bathrooms.
Incorrect. A mustache mug has a horizontal plate across the top with a notch cut away so as to sip your coffee and protect the 'stache That has a vertical divider, thus it is a scuttle. As a man with a perfect 'stache, I know
Thanks, that makes sense. A sliver of soap would be frugal. You could shave with just a cup of water from the teapot. Not much room for lathering. Thinking about it, a hot towel and large amount of lather was a luxury provided by the barber shop. We are spoiled with lather bowls and Hollywood showers.
Im sorry but, all I took from this discussion is that there is a mug for mustaches and I have never heard of one let alone do I own one and now I am going to find one asap! My stache gets into everything, this entire time I could have been preventing it with a mustache mug!
The perception of flowers as feminine is a modern one. Notions of what is "masculine" or "feminine" change over time. As an example, take a look at the patterns on men's Western shirts, many of which are floral.
