A Trim Above the Ordinary - Collecting Antique Barber Chairs

A barber’s chair is more than just a place to ‘park it’ when getting a trim.  It is the centerpiece of the barbershop experience, a fading tradition in American culture.  Since ancient times, Barbers tended to all kinds of needs of their clients, such as hair cutting, face shaving, surgical procedures, bloodletting and pulling teeth.  Barber chairs have evolved with the needs of their masters, producing some beautiful and interesting styles over the years.  These days, barber chairs are a sought after collector’s item for homes and offices.  If you are in the market for a genuine antique barbers chair, you may have to do some digging, as they are increasing in rarity and demand more and more everyday! Today most collectors searching for an antique barber chair are searching for a chair dating from 1880s to the 1950s.

About the Barber’s Chair
(courtesy of http://www.prlog.org/10679878-barber-chairs-short-history-of-the-trim.html and http://www.antiquebarberchairs.org/)

The history of the barber chair is a long and interesting one. They have been the site of political decisions and style changes. Although barber shops have been seen as the domain of men, women are increasing using their services for their haircuts.

A barber is defined as someone who cuts hair, trims beards, and shaves men's faces. With the advances in disposable and electric razors, barbers tend to focus on cutting hair in modern times. Barbershops tend to focus on simple haircuts, although many stylists in hair salons are master barbers as well.

Evidence suggests that barbers were present in ancient times. Barbering even has a mention in the Old Testament of the Bible. In 296 B.C., barbershops were introduced to Rome where they quickly became a center for gossip and talk. People came to sit in the barber chair and talk to others. Many individuals would stop in each day to get the latest news.

In past times, barbers not only cut hair and shaved beards, but they also acted as doctors and dentists. They extracted teeth, performed blood letting, and conducted surgery on wounds. The barber's pole originated with the blood letting service, symbolizing the clean and bloody cloths used in the process. Barber surgeons formed their first organization in 1094.

In 1492, barbers formed their own guild in England. They were helped along in their business by laws that taxed individuals who wore beards. Most individuals choose to have their faces shaved on a regular basis by a barber rather than pay the tax. Other rulers of the time, such as Peter the Great in Russia, liked the laws and extended them in their own countries. This helped keep the barber chairs full.

By the late 1700s, the professions of barbers and surgeons had separated. Barbers concentrated on cutting hair and shaving beards, although their shops remained places of gossip and daily news. In many places, a boy's first haircut and shave was an important event in their life and signaled their march toward manhood.

Today, barbershops generally offer simpler haircuts than beauty salons or spas. Increasing, women are choosing to utilize barbershops for short or simple haircuts because they cost much less than the same cut at a salon. In small towns, the barber can still be the place to go for town gossip and political discussion.

What makes them so special?

Well, it’s difficult to tell, but there’s something magical about an old barber chair. You can sit on one, close your eyes and can imagine yourself getting a haircut one hundred years ago. They are also stylish (not like the chairs you will find nowadays at modern hair salons), and believe it or not, even when they were made over one century ago, really comfortable!

What are the most famous?

Well, as noted above, the first one was built by Koken. Therefore, Antique Koken Barber Chairs are usually the most valuable.  Other well known brands are Koch, Belmont or Weber.

Where can I buy a vintage barber chair?

Well, if you are lucky, somebody near you might have one barber chair for sale, but usually you will have to look for them at auctions and antique stores

How much do they cost?

Obviously, it depends on the brand, the state of the chair, materials, etc. But prices normally vary between a few hundred dollars and several thousand dollars (not a very accurate statement, is it?)

Original or Replica?

If you want to save some bucks, you can always go for the replica, but hey, it’s also kind of magical to sit on one barber chair and imagine that your great-grandfather might have been sitting on it

The Evolution of the Antique Barber Chair
(courtesy of http://antiques.lovetoknow.com)

Many of the wooden barber chairs of the early1800s were elaborately carved with ornate designs and decorative plush upholstery. In the1850s the barber chair industry began to take shape as companies started to make chairs specifically for barber shops.

The early chairs of this period were usually crafted from wood had offered the following features:

• Taller than a regular household chair
• A headrest in a fixed position
• Reclined several degrees
• A type of foot rest or stool

In the last two decades of the 1800s, there were many mechanical advances made in the barber chair industry including:

Fully reclining chairs

• Chairs that could swivel a full 360 degrees
• Hydraulic systems that allowed the chairs to be raised and lowered
• In the 1900s the trends in barber chair styles and materials changed with the times. Slowly the beautiful ornately carved wood gave way to chairs made of porcelain covered cast iron.

Eugene Berninghaus Company

The first manufacturer of barber chairs in the United States was Eugene Berninghaus. Opening his business in 1875 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Berninghaus made barber chairs and other tonsorial furniture and accessories. As his business grew, Berninghaus named his most popular barber chair the “Hercules” models. The Hercules models were made of wood and cast iron with a choice of leather or mohair plush upholstery. The wood choices included:

• Birdseye maple
• Oak
• Cherry
• Mahogany
• Walnut

Perhaps one of the most well known models of Berninghaus barber chairs is the  “Hercules # 58” hydraulic barber chair manufactured in 1899. It was one of these barber chairs that M.G.M. used in their famous 1960 film on time travel “Time Machine”.

The Koken Manufacturing Company

In 1874, Ernest Koken of St. Louis opened his company selling decorated shaving mugs to barber shops. Shortly after he added used chairs to his inventory and sold them to the barbers. After taking a financial partner, Louis Boppart, Koken began manufacturing barber chairs and is responsible for much of the growth of the industry.

Several of his patents include:

• 1881 first patent for reclining barber chair for shaving
• 1885 barber chairs that revolved
• 1888 barber chairs that fully reclined
• 1892 first hydraulic lift chair (pedal style)

Koken barber chairs quickly became known as the industry standard and were regarded as:

• The highest quality
• The classiest look
• The best guarantee

More Manufacturers of Antique Barber Chairs

• Emil J. Paidar Co
  Theodore H. Kochs
  Reliance
  Hanson
  Gibbs

Examples of Barber Chairs from Years Past

The following are beautiful examples of barber chairs from years gone by:

• Koken tufted leather, walnut and chrome circa 1900
• 1950s turquoise and red Art Deco Koken President’s model barber chair
• Koken 1931 green leather, chrome and porcelain
• Koken round back and seat white porcelain, nickel plating and black leather
• Koch oak and green leather

Where to Buy Antique Barber Chairs

• eBay.com: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1311&_nkw=antique+barber+chair&_sacat=See-All-Categories
• Barber Chairs for Sale: http://www.barberchairsforsale.net/
• Google Shopping: http://www.google.com/products?client=safari&rls=en&q=buy+antique+barbers+chairs&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=WyodTInQJoOC8gbdqIWdDA&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQrQQwAA
• Local Antique Stores
• Local Auctions

Antique Barber Chair Price Guide