Be it known that I, FRANK H. ANDERSON, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Razor- Strop Hangers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification
From US patent 721,654
There is more to a shave than a razor. And before cheap, replaceable razor blades were a thing, you needed a razor strop and a way to hang it. And it is the way to hang it that Frank H Anderson1 filed a patent for in 1902.
With a hundred and twenty years of hindsight, the razor strop hanger looks plenty simple and obvious. But the best inventions are simple, and not complicated.
Anderson came up with a razor strop hanger that could be used anywhere. It was made to be secured without the use of screws. All the shaver needed was a door, or a dresser, or almost any piece of furniture.
The razor strop hanger is little more than a L-shaped piece of metal with a carbine-style hook at one end. This could be secured over the top of a door, in a dresser drawer, or… well, where ever.
A quick search online don’t reveal much more than the patent… but then, this isn’t something that would be handed down as a heirloom. It likely works very well, but the decline of straight razor shavers means the marked has contracted. Old hangers were likely thrown away when grandpa stopped shaving.2 Which is a shame, but at least the patent is long expired and anyone can copy it today.
As usual you can read the full patent on Google Patents. Mr Anderson have a few other patents to his name, including one for a one-piece uniform where the bulging rear portion is an essential feature…
Footnotes
- Sounds like he was of Swedish decent, if the name is a clue.
- In other words, when grandpa’s estate was settled.