Sanssouci is the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia , in Potsdam, Germany. The palace was designed/built by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfill King Frederick's need for a private residence where he could relax away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. The palace's name emphasises this being a version of the French phrase 'sans souci' which means "carefree".
The phrase 'Sanssouchi' became a well known marque symbolising a 'Fine Silver Steel' process involving a high carbon content. The 'Sanssouchi Silver Steel' was more fluid and was better to mold straight razors.
Many razor makers used the marque ''Sanssouchi" like they used the terms 'Inoxyable', 'Solingen Steel', or 'Warranted' steel making processes. Razor makers brought this unique 'Sanssouchi' process as well as the 'India Steel' process to the International Centennial Exhibit in New York City.
German craftsmen who came to the United States were young men like Ernst Otto Lauterjung who wanted to avoid conscription in the German Army by immigrating to America and changing their name instead of being forced to serve in the German army for an extended period of time. Ernst Lauterjung was 14 years old when he changed his first name to Charles to begin a second factory to make pocketknives in America. He was the Great-Great-Grandson of Johann Wilhelm Lauterjung who founded Puma Werk in Germany.
Charles R. Lauterjung filed for US Naturalization in NYC witnessed by John Christopher Friedman on October 7, 1869.
They both resided in the Eleventh Ward of the Lower East Side in Manhattan which was referred to as 'Kleindeutschland' (Little Germany). Friedman lived at 78 Reade Street and Lauterjung lived in a tenement at 32 Sheriff Street.
Amid intolerable stench and gang violence operated a cutlery import business at 14 Warren Street from 1872-1877 . .
. . with law office near the Manhattan Municipal Building at 91 Chambers Street.
A.J. Jordan becomes their sole agent for the St.Louis market area in 1881 to replace John Brown Francis Champlin who was leaving their cutlery import sales firm to become an independent knife broker.
John Champlin was married to Theresa Case who had four brothers in Little Valley, New York doing the same type of business in 1887. Earlier Champlin built a "Opera House" in Little Valley (1880) and founded the Cattaraugus Cutlery Company (1882).
They relocate to a new Dickerson Street factory warehouse in Newark, New Jersey 1890-1896 because bad air and inadequate food gave them prostate nervous systems.
Friedman and Lauterjung also partner with Clifford B. Fuller in 1889 while garbage still rots in the streets around 'Rag Picker Paradise'.
Champlin still contracted and did licensing with his former firm to create the first official trademark logo for . .
the ''Sanssouchi D.R.' (Deutsches Rotes) German Red Cross style straight razor to John Russel Case's razor making division formerly known as 'Genco' of Geneva Cutlery Corporation.
The 'Genco Fluid Steel' process is same as the ''Sanssouchi Siver Steel' process.
A logo with a Puma Werk inspired 'diamond' with the word 'Sanssouchi' above the letters 'D.R.' (Deutsches Rotes) was used by Genco/Geneva on German Red Cross model straight razors . .
 | |||
| Genco Red Cross - Geneva Cutlery Co | 5/8 - Full Hollow - Original | Made in USA - Geneva, N.Y. U.S.A |
. .with the model number appearing within a 'pyramid' icon stamped on the blade since 1903.
John "Russ" Case began contracting work with his uncle John Champlin's 'Cattaraugus Cutlery Company' and brother-in-law H.N.Platts 'Western Cutlery Company' and 'Genco' (Canandaigua, N.Y.) in 1902.
Double-Edge Safety Razors had been around since 1875 but by 1904 the Merkur Razor associated with Gillette Razor to supply British Army needs during WW1.
Red Cross straight razors were used by Nazi Germany's Red Cross (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz) dramatically.
Genco was purchased in 1936 by Russ Case after ECKO tried to save it from bankruptcy in 1934. King Camp Gillette secured a contract with the U.S. Government to issue D.E. RAZORS to the military during the outbreak of WW2.
The W.R. CASE & Sons Company made many sheath knives during WW2 but most rare are the combat knife with a butt-plate instead of a pommel marked ''Sanssouchi D.R.' within a 'diamond' on the ricasso.
This scarce item's blade is made with Genco Liquid Steel/ Sanssouchi Silver Steel process and stacked leather handle contracted by Western and Cattaraugus.
No comments:
Post a Comment