When I was a youngster on the Maxatawny (Berks County) farm, Pop would take me along to his Maxatawny barber. I only knew him by the name “Schmitty.” Even though I had to sit still on a bench on these trips, inside the barber shop, I had a child’s view of everything. Pop sat on a high-backed metal chair that went up or down from a foot peddle the barber used. His shoulders were draped in a white cloth to catch his hair. I’d sit mesmerized by the buzzing of clippers and the “clip-clip-clip” of the scissors. The barbershop always seemed to be a man’s place for chit chat with the barber and other patrons waiting their turn. At times, I was immersed in watching the red, white and blue barber pole I glimpsed through the front window. Soon it was all over; Pop paid the barber, and called, “Carole, get going! I’m done.”
Pop told me, there was a belief that you shouldn’t get a haircut before full moon or you could go bald. I do not know if Pop had this belief or not.
My husband, Harry, told me about his barbershop experiences from Hazleton: “It was a big deal for a father to take his son for his first haircut. There were two ways barbers could accommodate children. One way was for a barber to place a board across the arms of a chair for a child to sit on. My barber had a special hobby horse, like the miniature horses on a merry-go-round, to sit on. It helped resolve any fears a child may have had. When I was eight or nine years old, I was allowed to walk to the barbershop by myself. In elementary, and into junior high, in order for our parents to save money, the barber just buzzed our hair off during summer months.”
When I married Harry, he was 40, and was already bald. He told me, when he moved to Easton, he asked the teachers in the faculty lounge who to go to for a hair cut. They all said, “Vince.”
Harry told me all about Vince. He was in the Italian Army, in North Africa, when he was captured by the Americans. They assigned him a barber job on the ship. After three years, he came to America and made barbering his lifelong occupation.
Because Vince was a colorful character, Harry asked me to go along one time. I did. When we got home, I told him, “You know you hardly have any hair to clip and I noticed Vince ‘clipped the air’ several times. Why can’t we get some clippers and I cut your hair?” He agreed. I’ve been his barber ever since, and he doesn’t have to buy me a six-pack; I’ll settle for a peanut butter cup any day.
After my reverie, I decided I wanted to know more about the history of the art of barbering that enthralled me as a youngster.
The art of cutting hair is an ancient art of mankind. Many relics, such as razors, combs and cutting devices have been found in ancient civilizations, such as the those of the Sumerians and Egyptians. Also, written records revealed the barbers’ trade not only included hair cutting, but shaving, trimming beards, cutting fingernails, hair curling and makeup.
During the Stone Age, it was a highly respected trade among the social classes. Many social and religious superstitions revolved around hair. It was believed by removing hair, one removed evil and a renewal of energies. This sacred task was delegated to the more educated priests.
Barbers were also highly respected in ancient Egypt. It is known that barbers shaved the temple priests entire body of hair, as a way to purify the body.
In ancient Greece, the barber profession of trimming, curling, combing, perfuming and even dyeing of hair was a popular fashion. In these shops is where men discussed politics, philosophy and everyday subjects, similar to agora clubs (public assemblies).
In the time of Alexander the Great, conqueror of the Persian Empire, in 334 BC, decreed all military personnel to shave their beards. He realized in hand-to-hand combat the enemy had too much of an advantage of grabbing a man’s beard, pulling him off his horse and spearing him. Soon, the people adopted this fashion themselves.
It was in 296 BC that Nema, a Roman senator, introduced barbering services to Rome, and that it became fashion to be clean shaven. These barber shops were called “tonsers” and Roman men spent many hours there. Also introduced in the tonsors were musical instruments for entertainment. Men of social rank had personal barbers.
During the Middle Ages, the barbers position changed to barber-surgeon. At this time, surgical operations were only performed by the clergy, who were educated and cultured, while most others were illiterate. Barbers had already been doing minor surgical procedures, such as tooth extractions, enemas, herbal remedies, delousing and blood-letting (later, in order to control the bleeding from blood-letting, leeches were used directly on the vein).
This blood-letting was performed while a customer held his arm flat on a pole, and then a vein was cut in the arm to bleed, and bandages were strewn around the pole. After the procedure, the blood stained bandages were hung with the wooden pole outside the shop to dry. On particularly windy days, the bloody bandages spiraled around the pole until dry. At times an empty blood basin was placed on top of the pole. Soon these red and white bandages became a form of advertisement for the barber-surgeon. It did take a length of time until it was realized blood-letting was not helping anyone feel better. Eventually, a law in 1307 prohibited this form of advertising.
By the 1500s, the poles of the barber-surgeon were painted red and white to signify the barber-surgeon’s place of business. Thus, we have our famous barber pole. In America, many barber poles were painted red, white and blue, probably due to the color of our flag.
Up until 1745, there were separate barber and surgeon guilds, but they all worked together. In the same year, in London, a bill was passed to separate barbers and surgeons. Barbers were now restricted to only taking care of hair. After this, the barbering profession declined and was no longer a respected trade.
However, barbers made a comeback at the end of the 18th century, when wigs came into style for both men and women. They became the wig makers and designers of wigs, which needed periodic maintenance. Alas, during the 18th century, wigs were no longer stylish and natural hairstyles were in fashion. By the end of the 19th century, barbershops were in all cities and villages and once again, with new regulations, they thrived.
European immigrants brought to American their culture and trades, including barbering. By the end of the 19th century, barbers organized into unions, barbers schools were opened and books were published, such as The Standarized Textbook of Barbering.
At first men and women’s shops were separate. By the 1970s, barbershops expanded to include both men and women.
Nowadays, almost all salons service both genders. Barbershops have made a comeback!
Carole Christman Koch grew up in Berks County and has been published in numerous publications. She has a passion for writing and has many stories from growing up on a farm to everyday stories.
