Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-15
Art in Shaving Cups.


store on the ground floor Of tene-
ment building, in the window OF Whlch
is DISPLAYED conspicuously a sign bear
ing the inscription, in English ana
German. High Art Decorations on
shaving CUPS" Examples Of the high
art are ranged along under the sign,
and it would be difficult TO find any
where a more varied collection. On
the curved surfaces of the mugs are
portraits. fancy heads flags. coatS-oI-
arms, busts of celebrities, notices,
comic pictures, quotations ana coup
let's of what is probably original verse,
besides Il number of very ornate cups
inscribed with the initials of the own
ers done in text 50 magnificent that IL
is quite impossible to make out the
letters. These are only small por-
ton of the stock which the artist
keeps on hand, and Of which he IS very
proud. He is an intelligent little oid
fellow. whose pet maxim IS that no
man should be without his own shaw
ing mug, and that there IS no use IN
his having one of his own unless 1T is
SO decorated that there IS no POSSIBLE
| ~ of anybody else's getting mold OF II
Nv mistake. The tales he tells of the
| dire results of such mistakes are
! enough to keep a man from ever enter
! ing a barber shop. It is easy, however.
| To get him switched off from this
unpleasant topic to the artistic side
of his work. and on that subject he
will talk as long as there is any one.
to listen
| IN the old times" he says. lit was
all initial work. If a man came in
and wanted a cup decorated. all had
| to do was to find out his name or in
itial. and put them on in gold or bright
colors But now it is all different, and
| | have brought about the new fashion.
| for many years ago | was the first TO
see that there was room for art in this
business. 50 | made UP few very
fine cups and gave them to friends Of
mine who are big men over here-poli-
ticians and brewers and lawyers and
men like that. who start the fashions
in this part Of the city-and it took
right hold, and now I have all the
| work l want and of a kind that an art
| ist is proud to do. You go into any
| Of the firSt-cl barber shops over
here on the North side now and you
will find the American flags on some
| of the cups my work. When the war
| broke out ii struck me that there was
the ,raca for na+riotfsrn right on a
'iie PFC ~ 49,, ~
| man shaving cup SO iHil NHVh ii'
| went to get shaved in the morning
| ho,l ba,.. sa,,attirc, IN front of him
| ne y navy 9"Iitr ms 49,
| to make him think Or ms country, ana
| T +urra6 oiit a dozau of these II took
! 49, , f.. .I,,+ ,,,,,,,, III so,,e
| IKE IFt' anu 'li'ei 'i'''' '"i'ir 81 '
of patriotic art.
,, Tt IN newav down so me +hat can
turn out hiS pc,ur" I r. n3 Time. Mr. MS
kinney, WIN our irrNlur ,iI., III III III
MI tbs wHr herofS ha , come ON ,rI IN b io[
IF The war right on ~ shaving CUPS %
Inns part 81 tIIt I!-S IL "e HItt 81 '"',,'i
sg g5 an be re25 n an had 4 gS
nctqhreS e I'll # them MIC IL TePT i5 q ms
charsr un san JuAn h. by , Inc r ,5l riG
err. pHJ my noai' L-Snl Ii''o Wy ,''i'';
thar staying IN a n'rpeF Sh'I.-tlt . 'uG -,r,
| TO ne IN a Eanct$ 'oddl- Til niIl
| 6v"d + - rhaf VII cnI,ljjn.r le, lin Till
| nLarra III nncc hi. understand that'4
| III" yl9,- II w.. Nh thr hiIl 81 III was ain
| r5,,bt tnl -,.tt., nm Iif. anyway
| ''rHHtt n'''' ,r,. ,,Ia,.y ..r INV .ue-nnoers
| NV tPi' ~ p.O",t w. ''' ..ti,,'r "
don want fancy PICTURES "I any ,ulIT W.
4