Comb Works Signboard
AssociatedAssociated with
S R Stewart & Co
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1825 - 1997)
Datec. 1900
Object NameSign
Mediumlacquered, gilt wood
ClassificationsScience And Technology
Dimensions39.5 x 155cm
AcquisitionPresented in 2001.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS050777
Keywords
At its height the Comb Works was a very large enterprise with about 1,000 workers manufacturing some 25 million combs annually. In addition to combs the company also made spoons, snuff boxes and tumblers, all fashioned from horn.
Changes in fashion and the introduction of new materials forced the company to turn to man-made plastics. The first man-made plastic used by the business was a casein based product which had the trade name Keronyx. This was later superseded with cellulose acetate products, the combs going under the name of Nuroid. These were injection moulded rather than cut by machine or by hand.
In 1969 a disastrous fire hit the factory but Phoenix like it arose from the ashes and continued trading. However, in 1997 the owners decided to move production from the city and the business closed.
William McKinnon and Company Limited
c.1884
William McKinnon and Company Limited
1896
George Washington Wilson
