Recently, I found it was time to drag my shaggy self in for a little trim. I had noticed in my files of NYC storefronts that barbershops, beside their idiosyncratic flair, consistently used the red. white and blue barber pole theme. I knew it had something to do with a historical connection to surgery. A little Googling about confirmed that in medieval times, beside haircutting, barbers performed surgery and the red and white colors referred to blood and bandages. Eventually
the surgical services were separated from the tonsorial arts and it is believed that by the late 19th century the addition of blue to the barber pole color scheme (in America) was done as a patriotic homage. Happy 4th.
all photos © Ken Brown
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