Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 21st January 2012, 07:11 PM

Hi Ed,
Thank you for joining in with this conundrum. Very good point on the character of the stamp and as well as being well executed,the wasp is deeply struck.

I think at this point, the suggestion on native application seems unlikely so I think we return to Solingen. After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 it seems there was wild speculation financially in industrial sectors in Solingen and I think considerable consolidation and restructuring of many of the cutlery and blademaking firms. I would suggest that amid these burgeoning commercial situations perhaps subsidiary producers may have augmented supply to factors and larger firms.
This wasp may have been used by one of these producers which was short term or escaped record in the corpus of material on marks. If it was recorded perhaps it was among those lost during wartime misfortune.

It is interesting that often markings seem to be spin offs or allusions to other well established marks from earlier Solingen maker heritage, and the use of the fly was one, but more importantly there was the bee....the beehive was used by Samuel Hoppe much earlier. It is not a long reach from bee to wasp, and seems plausible that a smaller firm hoping to attract contacts from one of the larger firms might use a mark associated in degree with important traditional examples.

I think we have a pretty good idea that Solingen in this industrial boom was indeed likely producing blades for export to Africa during the Condominium.
These kinds of situations are well illustrated in England with firms producing for the Indian government such as Wilkinson, with much of thier material produced by Mole. There were outfitters like Bourne & Son using Mole blades as well and supplying the India Office for distribution to units in India. As we know, Wilkinson was also supplying native form shotel blades to Abyssinia well into the 1930s, as well as were Solingen makers, so we know blades were specifically made for colonial markets.

I did check through most of the Sheffield marks and material I have just in case there might have been some connection so at this point I feel this wasp is probably Solingen but unrecorded as probably from subcontract firm.

All the best,
Jim

21st January 2012, 07:11 PM	#30
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,189	Hi Ed, Thank you for joining in with this conundrum. Very good point on the character of the stamp and as well as being well executed,the wasp is deeply struck. I think at this point, the suggestion on native application seems unlikely so I think we return to Solingen. After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 it seems there was wild speculation financially in industrial sectors in Solingen and I think considerable consolidation and restructuring of many of the cutlery and blademaking firms. I would suggest that amid these burgeoning commercial situations perhaps subsidiary producers may have augmented supply to factors and larger firms. This wasp may have been used by one of these producers which was short term or escaped record in the corpus of material on marks. If it was recorded perhaps it was among those lost during wartime misfortune. It is interesting that often markings seem to be spin offs or allusions to other well established marks from earlier Solingen maker heritage, and the use of the fly was one, but more importantly there was the bee....the beehive was used by Samuel Hoppe much earlier. It is not a long reach from bee to wasp, and seems plausible that a smaller firm hoping to attract contacts from one of the larger firms might use a mark associated in degree with important traditional examples. I think we have a pretty good idea that Solingen in this industrial boom was indeed likely producing blades for export to Africa during the Condominium. These kinds of situations are well illustrated in England with firms producing for the Indian government such as Wilkinson, with much of thier material produced by Mole. There were outfitters like Bourne & Son using Mole blades as well and supplying the India Office for distribution to units in India. As we know, Wilkinson was also supplying native form shotel blades to Abyssinia well into the 1930s, as well as were Solingen makers, so we know blades were specifically made for colonial markets. I did check through most of the Sheffield marks and material I have just in case there might have been some connection so at this point I feel this wasp is probably Solingen but unrecorded as probably from subcontract firm. All the best, Jim