Item Details:

POLYCHROME OBELISK BARBER POLE

MAKER UNKNOWN

AMERICAN FOLK ART, circa 1880

Wood and Decorative Polychrome

Size: 9.25 x 68.25 x 9.25 in; 23.5 x 173.4 x 23.5 cm

Iconic example of an late 19th century Barber Pole, from the Ohio-Pennsylvania area, in a rare desirable obelisk form, advertising goods & services at a time when iconic symbols were designed and served to quickly communicate information to the entire population, including those many who were otherwise illiterate.

Hundreds of years ago, barbers didn’t just cut hair and trim beards; they also worked as dentists and surgeons, providing their services to poorer people who couldn’t afford to see a physician. If you were unlucky enough to get a sore tooth or some kind of illness in those days, a barber was often the only option for treatment. Medical care was fairly primitive back then, and even simple procedures were risky. Working as a barber must have been an interesting job, to say the least.

The red and white stripes of the barber pole originated from a practice known as bloodletting. One of the nastier aspects of barber history, this practice involved drawing blood from the patient, in an attempt to cure them of disease or infection. Thanks to the progression of modern medicine, we now know that draining blood from a sick person probably wasn’t the best idea. However, this method was used to treat everything from common colds to deadly diseases back in the Middle Ages.

The bloody bandages associated with bloodletting inspired the red and white stripes, while the barber pole itself symbolises an instrument people gripped onto during the procedure to encourage blood flow.

Barbers would place the barber pole outside their barbershop, to let customers know they were open for business. Many modern barber poles have a blue stripe, which some historical sources cite as a tribute to the colours of the America flag. In Europe, the blue stripe was meant to differentiate barbers from doctors, as the two professions gradually began to grow apart. Men’s hairstyling has come a long way since the Middle Ages, but the barber pole still perseveres an iconic representation of the trade.

Provenance: Private collection, New York City from whom the current owner obtained the work

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barber's_pole