19th Century Barber's Pole Hand Carved Hand Painted

Description

19th Century Barber's Pole Hand Carved Hand Painted

Antique barbers pole

5.5" diameter x 42" high

The support measures 9" … more 19th Century Barber's Pole Hand Carved Hand Painted

Antique barbers pole

5.5" diameter x 42" high

The support measures 9" wide x 34" high

Good antique condition

The current paint (as found) does not appear to be original to the pole. The pole would have been displayed outdoors, and weather would have eventually stripped away the original paint.

A barber's pole is a type of sign used by barbers to signify the place or shop where they perform their craft. The trade sign is, by a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, a staff or pole with a helix of colored stripes (often red and white in many countries, but usually red, white and blue in the United States). The pole may be stationary or may rotate, often with the aid of an electric motor.

A "barber's pole" with a helical stripe is a familiar sight, and is used as a secondary metaphor to describe objects in many other contexts. For example, if the shaft or tower of a lighthouse has been painted with a helical stripe as a daymark, the lighthouse could be described as having been painted in "barber's pole" colors. less