Pole, Barber
Object number2015.63.1 a,b
Date1935-2015
MediumMetal/Iron/Paint/Plastic/Rubber/Glass/Ceramic
Credit LineGift of Francis Crisafio
DescriptionBarber pole with glass globe. Electric. Center of pole is painted with red, black, and white diagonal stripes and is covered in a clear plastic column. The ends of the pole are red painted iron. The top of the pole has a ceramic light bulb socket at center surrounded by groove for the glass globe. Pole is mounted on a black painted iron wall bracket. Red and black rubber electrical cords protrude from the back of the wall bracket at top. White glass globe. Nearly opaque. Spherical with round flared opening at the bottom center.
When plugged in and turned on, the globe's light bulb illuminates and a light source inside the pole illuminates.Dimensions(a-c together) Height ~34.25, Width 8, Depth 11;(a) Height ~29.5, Width 8, Depth 11, Length of cord 103.5;
(b) Height 8.25, Diameter 7.875;
(c) Height 4.125, Diameter 2.5.
Marks(a)
Electrical plug has inscribed text on the exterior side of each prong "ACADEMY / AUTOMATIC / MADE IN U.S.A."
On/off switch on electrical cord has raised text including "UND. LAB. INC. LIST / 3A125VACL", "3A.250V / AC", "[logo] / CHILY 1403", "6A.125V. / AC", and "3A 125VT / [logo]".
Historical NotesFrank's Barbershop barber pole. In 1930, the Crisafio family moved from the Italian enclave in Sharpsburg to the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh and bought a building at 4043 Penn Avenue. Two of the Crisafio children, Tony (Anthony) and his older brother Frank, were pulled out of Arsenal School after the 8th grade in order to work to support the family. The brothers were sent to Nossokoff's Barber School on 3rd Avenue and trained to become barbers. The Crisafio family converted the first floor of their building into a storefront, which became Frank's Barbershop, and Frank (age 18) and Tony (age 16) began cutting hair to support the family. Haircuts were 35 cents and a shave was 25 cents; by 2014, the barbershop charged ten dollars for a haircut and customers no longer came to them for their shaving needs. Frank's barbershop was in operation from 1935-2015 and was the second oldest business in Lawrenceville at the time of its closing. The customer base included decades-long clients and new clients that reflected the changing demographics of the community. Clients who moved out of the Lawrenceville area continued to return to the neighborhood to get their haircut at Frank's Barbershop, as well as residents from the neighborhood and employees from the nearby Children's Hospital. Historically, the client base was comprised of Italian and Eastern European immigrants and their descendants, but by the 1990s many South and Southeast Asian immigrants also frequented Frank's Barbershop.
Related person
Frank Crisafio
Related person
Anthony Crisafio
Related institution
Frank's Barbershop
Related institution
Nossokoff's Barber School
On View
Not on view
1935-2015
American Safety Table Company
c. 1989
c. 1917
