The barber pole is an internationally recognized symbol of the barbering trade. In my latest Flickr album, Shave and a Haircut, you will see a small selection of images of barber poles from the Prints and Photographs Division. The collections hold many more photos than I could use in the album.
This is the kind of barber pole that I remember from my youth:
There are many other types of barber poles represented in P&P holdings. Painted wooden poles were sometimes used to great effect:
Much less traditional is this Volkswagen decorated in the style of a barber pole:
In 1941, Jack Delano, working for the Farm Security Administration, took this photo of a barbershop in Puerto Rico:
The four painted depictions of barber poles on the shop’s open doors are eye-catching, even in black and white.
Learn More:
- See the Flickr album Shave and a Haircut.
- View more barbering photos by John Margolies.
- Look through images related to barber shops in the Farm Security Administration Collection.
from Picture This https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2023/03/shave-and-a-haircut-the-blog/
