Gillette U.S. Service Razor Set
date: label: date made
content: 1917
name: label: issuing authority
content: United States Government
label: maker
content: Gillette Safety Razor Company
notes: label: Description
content: The first safety razor was patented by King Gillette in 1901. It was created as an alternative to the straight razor, which required skill to wield, making a shave the purview of the local barber. Gillette's invention, which used disposable blades, eliminated the need for sharpening the blade and allowed the user to shave himself without fear of serious injury. He founded the American Safety Razor Company that same year. The Gillette Company was a player in the market for 101 years, until is was purchased by the Proctor & Gamble Company in 2005. Savvy marketing by the company, plus a good product, was the reason for the longevity.
label: Description
content: One of those products, the U.S. Service Set, was introduced by the Gillette Safety Razor Company (as it was known then) during World War I. There were two versions, the khaki set and the metal set. The Gillette khaki set was issued to the soldier, but the metal set was available for the purchase price of five dollars from retailers such as Sears Roebuck and Company. It was marketed as the gift the soldier in service would like to have, and many were purchased by family and friends. The metal tin came with a handle, razor head, a pack of blades, and a mirror on the interior of the lid. The exterior of the lid was embossed with U.S. Army and Navy insignia.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Boston
topic: label: related event
content: World War I
setName: label: See more items in
content: Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military
label: See more items in
content: Military
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1979.1175.107
label: catalog number
content: 1979.1175.107
label: accession number
content: 1979.1175
objectType: label: Object Name
content: razor set
label: Other Terms
content: razor set; Equipment, Individual; Army
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/4 in x 2 in x 1 in; 10.795 cm x 5.08 cm x 2.54 cm