Description

Copy of a brush made by a well known London maker and importer doing business from the early 1800s, throughout the Civil War and beyond, and with provenance to know CW era sites. Appropriate for both sides of the line as the North continued it’s imports during the period, but of particular interest to the Southern soldier as it is typical of British blockade run items. Genuine bone handled toothbrush with real bristle brush. (beware cheap modern style “synthetic bone” handles being sold as the real thing – now in the market, also please beware of a recently offered lot of “new old stock” toothbrushes being sold as like new and useable. They are 50+ years old and no warrant can be made as to their sanitation now or during the interim decades of storage. Natural bristle does deteriorate on it’s own over time as well) The edge of the handle has an elegant design and the end is cut into a bold geometric beveled point. (a well documented period handle design) Marked and cut into the handle is the maker’s name “SAVORY & MOORE” and “London.” in the same font as the original. We are very excited to offer yet another alternative to the cookie cutter approach to many such CW era personal items. The overall length of the toothbrush is 6″ with a longer brush area and a somewhat lower handle to brush ratio than modern brushes, as per the reference descriptions and original examples observed of this period design. Our customers may or may not be aware that in the past two years, the current availability of bone handled toothbrushes, by far the most common of the period, had become extremely thin. Prior to their current virtual disappearance, the wholesale and retail prices tripled and quadrupled. The last remaining available retail price we are aware of comes from a UK source at $45.00 per piece, plus shipping. Having been able to secure a small lot near the end of the availability, our brushes are a very limited supply and therefore restricted to one per customer. Our price reflects our significantly increased cost of the item  and the cost of the improvements we make to them, and yet we are happy to have any quantity of this important personal item to offer, even as a non-profit item to go with our other goods. We have absolutely no intention nor desire to exploit the current supply and demand conditions. Historical Note: We have addressed the issue of holes in the handles of toothbrushes, documented during the period contrary to some community dogma, and will do so again along with any offering we make of that design in the future. It has also been asserted similarly that “all” handles of CW era toothbrushes were curved. (apparently in direct response to a question concerning our toothbrushes – versus a curved one then offered by a competing vendor – for the record we were never offered the courtesy of being directly contacted by anyone to ascertain our position) As stated, the opinion was based on looking at a few references, unnamed museum collections, and handling a few originals with unpublished provenance. I am not questioning the intent nor the right to express the opinion, just availing our friends of our current conclusions upon over 45 years of collecting, research, dealing, and consulting on CW era personal items and material culture. Again, based upon handling hundreds of originals toothbrushes many with indisputable provenance, we have found some with curved handles and MANY that were straight as an arrow. Frankly, we have no ability to state whether some of the curved ones were made that way – or it occurred with age, use, and abuse – likely it is both. Many of these toothbrushes either have only a dealer marking with no maker markings, or no markings at all. Bone warps AND toothbrushes were manufactured both straight and purposely curved, in BOTH DIRECTIONS, with differing degrees of what is known as “cranking”, for decades before the war and after by various manufacturers – often with the same handle design. (NOTE: a relatively recent publication dealing with the use of bone toothbrushes to assist in dating archaeological sites uses a typology and dating matrix that must be carefully viewed and is not intended to be singular or definitive by itself as a method. While it supports our research as stated and it has very valuable information, it is not, nor does it purport to be unequivocal in it’s application. It deals with some specifics and many generalities with a valuable but quite finite sample and a broad spectrum as a scientific exercise) BEWARE “historians” and “researchers” with small amounts of data and limited experience, utilizing singular or poorly understood resources, who cavalierly extrapolate them into statements using the words “never” and “ever” as it relates to material facts. As always, we press forward against the dogma with the goal of revealing a balanced and accurate historical picture of CW era material culture. “the more I learn – the less I realize I know!”