2. Learning Objectives
• Discuss the evolution of barbering and the
origin of the word barber.
• Describe the practices of the
barber-surgeons and the meaning behind
the barber pole.
3. Learning Objectives
• Identify the organizations responsible for
advancing the barbering profession and
the function of state barber boards.
• Recognize the resurgence of barbering in
the twenty-first century and the wealth of
opportunities available to the new barber.
4. Why Study the History of Barbering?
~Class Discussion~
5. Understand the History of Barbering
• Ancient Cultures
– Haircutting and hairstyling were practiced in
glacial age.
– Implements included sharpened flints, oyster
shells, bone, animal sinew or strips.
– Many primitive cultures maintained a
connection between body, mind, and spirit.
(Continued)
6. Understand the History of Barbering
• Egyptians: First culture to cultivate beauty
in an extravagant fashion
• Egyptian barber Meryma’at held in high
esteem
(Continued)
8. Understand the History of Barbering
• African Masai Warriors
– Braiding used to denote tribal status
– Three braids in front section
– Queue down the back
• Time of Moses
– Thirteenth to twelfth centuries BC
– Barbering available to general population
(Continued)
9. Understand the History of Barbering
• Golden Age of Greece (500 to 300 BC)
– Barbering became a highly developed art.
– Beards became status symbols.
– Barbers rose in prominence.
– Barbershops became gathering places.
(Continued)
10. Understand the History of Barbering
• Alexander the Great (300 BC)
– Persians grabbed Macedonians’ beards in
battle and dragged them to the ground, where
they were speared or beheaded.
– Alexander issued a decree that all soldiers be
clean shaven.
(Continued)
11. Understand the History of Barbering
• Roman Culture
– Ticinius Mena brought shaving to Rome from
Sicily in 296 BC.
– Noblemen engaged private tonsors.
– Average citizens visited barbershops for:
• shaves, haircutting and dressing, massages, and
manicures.
(Continued)
12. Understand the History of Barbering
• Emperor Hadrian
– Grew beard to hide scars on his chin.
– Barber is derived from Latin word barba,
meaning beard.
– Tonsorial means cutting, clipping, or trimming
of hair with shears or razor.
(Continued)
14. Understand the History of Barbering
• Customs and Traditions
– Superstitions were associated with hair.
– Hairstyles indicated social status.
– Roman women’s hair color indicated class.
– Religion, occupation, politics indicated by
hairstyle and beards.
– Clergymen were distinguished by the tonsure.
– Rulers and monarchs became trendsetters.
(Continued)
18. Understand the History of Barbering
• The Beard and Shaving
– Upper Paleolithic: stone razors, 40,000 to
10,000 BC
– Neolithic: clean-shaven men in art, 8,000 to
5,000 BC
– Egyptians: head and face by 7,000 BC
– Mesopotamians: by 3,000 BC
– Sumerians: by 2,800 BC
– Greeks: by 1,000 BC (Continued)
19. Understand the History of Barbering
• The Beard and Shaving
– Beard: sign of wisdom, strength, manhood
– Orthodox Jews: beard sign of religious
devotion
– Beard shaving constituted rite of passage.
– Rulers and priests influenced beards and
shaving.
20. Trace the Rise of the Barber-Surgeons
• Barbers assisted clergy during Middle Ages in:
– Bloodletting
– Minor surgery
– Herbal remedies
– Tooth pulling
• Clergy were forbidden from the practice of
bloodletting in AD 1163.
– Barbers continued bloodletting and surgeries.
– Barbers-surgeons practiced dentistry.
(Continued)
21. Trace the Rise of the Barber-Surgeons
• England
– 1308: Worshipful Company of Barbers guild
formed in London to regulate profession.
– Two classes: those who practiced barbering
and those who specialized in surgery.
– Surgeons formed guild with oversight by
Barbers’ Guild until 1462.
– Merged guilds formed Company of Barber-
Surgeons.
(Continued)
22. Trace the Rise of the Barber-Surgeons
• Reunited by Act of Parliament in 1540 by
King Henry VIII.
• Alliance completely dissolved in 1745.
(Continued)
With
permission
of
The
Worshipful
Company
of
Barbers,
London,
UK
23. Trace the Rise of the Barber-Surgeons
• France
– First barber-surgeon organization 1096
– Barber-surgeon guild 1371
– Ambroise Paré
• Renaissance barber-surgeon
• Father of modern surgery
(Continued)
24. Trace the Rise of the Barber-Surgeons
• Barber-Surgeons
– Also flourished in Germany.
– 1779: barber-wigmakers cooperation founded
in Prussia.
– Barber-surgeons brought to America by Dutch
and Swedish settlers to look after colonists.
26. Understand Modern Barbering
Organizations and State Boards
• Upgrading and Regulating the Profession
– Master barber groups
– Journeymen barber groups
– First barber school
• Chicago, Illinois, 1893
• A. B. Moler
• Moler Manual of Barbering
(Continued)
27. Understand Modern Barbering
Organizations and State Boards
• Minnesota:
– 1897: first barber-licensing law set standards
for sanitation, minimum education, licensing.
• Associated Master Barbers of America
– 1924: organized in Chicago; represented
salon owners and managers.
– 1941: Associated Master Barbers and
Beauticians of America (AMBBA)
(Continued)
28. Understand Modern Barbering
Organizations and State Boards
• 1925: National Educational Council
– Requirements for barber schools
– Standardized barber instructor training
– Established a barbering curriculum
– Promulgated for state barbering laws
• National Association of Barber Schools
– School operation standardized in 1927
(Continued)
29. Understand Modern Barbering
Organizations and State Boards
• National Association of State Board of
Barber Examiners
– Created in 1929 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
– Standardized exam applicant qualifications.
– Established evaluation methods.
• AMBBA Barber Code of Ethics
– Promotes professional responsibility.
(Continued)
30. Understand Modern Barbering
Organizations and State Boards
• State Boards
– Since 1929, all states passed laws regulating
practice of barbering and hairstyling.
– Protection of health, safety, welfare of public.
– National Association of Barber Boards of
America (NABBA)
31. Consider the State of Barbering Today
• Improvements Over Past Century:
– Implementation of regulatory and educational
standards
– Improved hygiene and cleaning practices in
the barbershop
– Availability and use of better implements and
tools
(Continued)
32. Consider the State of Barbering Today
• Improvements Over Past Century:
– Mandatory study of anatomy dealing with the
head, face, and neck
– Study of products and preparations used in
facial, scalp, and hair treatments
33. Consider the State of Barbering Today
• 1940s and 1950s: heyday of American
barbershops
• February 9, 1964: Beatles on The Ed
Sullivan Show; cultural and social bedrock
of long-hair revolution for men
• 1980s: rise of unisex salons
• 1990s: full-service salons and spas
34. Consider the State of Barbering Today
• Turn of Twenty-First Century
– Resurgence in barbering
– New schools opened in many states
– New barbershops: independent and
franchised
– Barbering flourishing of an “art of manliness”
– 2010: return of beards and beard designs
(Continued)
36. What Did We Learn and Do Today?
• Discussed origin of the word barber.
• Explored evolution of barbering as
profession.
• Discussed superstitions and myths
associated with the hair and beard.
• Discussed origin of the barber pole.
• Discussed barber-surgeons and their
practices.
37. What Did We Learn and Do Today?
• Identified organizations responsible for
upgrading the barbering profession.
• Identified importance and function of
barber boards.
• Discussed changes and improvements in
the practice of barbering.
Editor's Notes
Although the historical aspects of barbering may not be included on state board exams, an exploration of this history creates an interesting frame of reference for students about the trade and a greater appreciation for their roles within the profession.
Review Learning Objectives with students.
Review Learning Objectives with students.
An understanding of barbering history creates a frame of reference about the profession.
Learning barbering history instills an appreciation for one of the oldest recognized professions.
Help students understand that knowledge of the past will help enhance knowledge of the present.
Many very old methods have evolved into techniques still used today.
Knowing the history of your profession can help you predict and understand upcoming trends.
You learn where you fit into the profession at large and what is expected of you.
Egyptians
First to cultivate beauty extravagantly
Combs, cosmetics, mirrors, razors in tombs
Henna used as a coloring agent
Meryma’at
Commemorated in sculpture
Shaved priests and Egyptian nobility
The Masai warriors: African warriors who wore three braided sections and a queue.
Biblical references: Leviticus, Moses, and Ezekiel.
Ezekiel: “Take thou a barber’s razor and cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard.”
Golden Age of Greece: 500–300 BC; barbering became a highly developed art tied to status, and barbershops become social centers for exchanging sporting, social, and political news.
Ask students how the desire to win or conquer affected Alexander’s decree.
Ticinius Mena of Sicily brought shaving and barbering services to Rome in 296 BC.
Activity
Ancient Studies: On your computer, go to Google.com to search for a world map you can display on a screen or affix a map of the world to the whiteboard or wall and/or distribute copies of a world map to students (Supplement 1.0). Have students locate geographical regions to trace the history of barbering as the areas are discussed.
Hairstyles played many roles in ancient cultures, including indicating social status.
Hair was considered adornment and ornamentation; ask students if that still applies today.
Religion and superstition were also tied to hairstyles.
Occupation and politics still are tied to hairstyles today. Are there professions where men’s hair is often short or long?
Clergymen wore a tonsure: a shaved patch on the crown of the head.
Seventeenth-century England: barristers wore wigs; military corps wore specific styles.
Pythagoras: thought hair was the source of the brain’s inspiration.
Native American tribes: believed possessing a person’s hair gave them power over the individual.
The circular tonsure (tonsure of St. Peter) left only a slight fringe of hair around the head of the clergymen who wore it.
Activity
Discuss superstitions and myths about hair. Ask students what they have heard.
Activity
Discuss the concept of everyone knowing or assuming one’s status, religion, politics, etc., as a result of one’s hairstyle. Ask students what they think someone may assume about them as a result of their personal hairstyle.
Paleolithic (40,000–10,000 BC): stone scrapers
Neolithic (8,000–5,000 BC): clean shaven
The beard was a sign of wisdom, strength, and manhood in most cultures.
Beards as signs of wisdom; manhood. Ask students if that still applies today.
Discuss different faiths that have different men’s facial hair or hairstyles. Orthodox Jew is one. Discuss others.
Middle Ages (400–1500 AD) to Nineteenth Century (1800 to 1899)
Barbers and medicine:
Barbers assisted monks and priests.
Performed bloodletting, minor surgery, and tooth pulling
Dentistry performed only by barbers.
Called barber-surgeons for more than 1,000 years.
The Barbers’ Company: two classes of barbers
Barbers who practiced barbering and barbers who specialized in surgery.
Groups were united, but practices separated, in 1450.
Surgeons formed a guild; tied to the barber’s guild. Discuss how odd that sounds in today’s society.
King Henry VIII reunited barbers/surgeons in 1540. Discuss why.
Ambroise Paré (1500s): barber-surgeon; considered the father of modern surgery.
Eighteenth and early nineteenth century (1700–1800s): wigs became so elaborate and fashionable that a separate corporation of barber-wigmakers was founded in France.
Nineteenth century: Dutch and Swedish settlers brought barber-surgeons to America.
When the Barber-Surgeon’s Company in England was formed, barbers were required to use blue-and-white poles and surgeons red-and-white poles.
In some states it is prohibited by law to display a barber pole at any establishment that is not a licensed barbershop with licensed barbers employed.
Barbers’ Protective Association: organized in 1886.
It became the Journeymen Barbers’ International Union of America in 1887 at its first convention in Buffalo, New York, and was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor.
By 1963 the name had changed again to the Journeymen Barbers, Hairdressers, Cosmetologists, and Proprietors’ International Union of America.
A. B. Moler:
First barber school—Chicago, 1893
First textbook—The Moler Manual of Barbering
Barber law
Master Barbers oFirst state to pass a barber licensing law: Minnesota, 1897.
The setting of standards was important because at the time it was common for towels, shaving brushes, and other barbering tools to be used on more than one customer without the benefit of having been disinfected in between. These practices provided ample opportunity for bacteria or parasites such as ringworm, herpes, or head lice to be spread from one person to another, casting a bad light on barbers and barbershops overall. Similar laws that included hand washing, powdered (rather than stick) astringents, regular floor sweeping, and the disinfection of tools were soon passed in other states as result of the need to protect the public from infectious conditions.
Terminal methods system: sanitation practice enacted in New York, 1916; included strict disinfection and sanitation practices, such as boiling tools in view of customers and airtight storage of disinfected implements.
Associated f America: shop owners organized, Chicago, 1924.
National Educational Council: standardized and upgraded barber training, 1925
National Association of Barber Schools founded in 1927
National Association of State Board of Barber Examiners: standardized testing criteria for licensure, Minnesota, 1929
Associated Master Barbers and Beauticians of America adopted a barber code of ethics to promote professional responsibility in the trade and later published a barbering textbook.
Since 1929, all states except Alabama regulate the practice of barbering.
According to the NABBA’s website, the organization’s mission statement and objectives are as follows:
The National Association of Barber Boards of America represents over 300,000 barbers and is the icon of the independent business person;
The tonsorial arts have been a tradition in the United States of America since its inception;
The time-honored tradition of the neighbor barbershop continues to grow and prosper.
Additionally, the organization proclaims the following objectives:
To promote the exchange of information between state barber boards and state agencies examining, licensing, and regulating the barber industry.
To develop standards and procedures for examining barbers.
To develop standards for licensing and policing the barber industry.
To develop curriculum for educating barbers.
To promote continuous education in the barber industry.
To develop and promote procedures for insuring that the consumer is informed and protected.
Improvement in the industry include additional standards, improved sanitation requirements as well as better tools.
Ask students if they can think of any other improvements needed. Asking this question now at Chapter 1 and at the end of the course will elicit interestingly different answers.
Explain to the students that additional studies like anatomy of the head, face, and neck and understanding of products will make them better barbers and better able to assess what their clients need
Explain what independent and franchised barbershops look like. Explain the opportunities in each scenario.
Activity
Discuss with students “why” each of these five items enhance the barbering profession for customers and for barbers.
Five noteworthy improvements:
Implementation of regulatory and educational standards
Improved cleaning practices
Better implements and tools
Study of anatomy dealing with the head, face, and neck
The study of products and preparations used in facial, scalp, and hair treatments
Remind students why the history of barbering is important today and review these summary points.