Named to be the first barber chairs manufacturer in the United States, the Eugene Berninghaus Company started its operation in 1875. The Ohio-based company was the most innovative and creative with its designs — paving the way for other barber chair manufacturers.
This article will look into the history, significance, and whereabouts of Berninghaus barber chairs in today's market.
Eugene Berninghaus Company's founder is a German man sharing the same name as his company, Eugene Berninghaus. His parents Richard Berninghaus and Thusnelda Schnick, moved to New York in 1849. Later they relocated and settled down in Ohio in 1849. In 1856 they started their family business of perfumes which Richard Berninghaus had learned in Germany. When Eugene got married to Mary Dolle from Indiana, the whole Berninghaus family relocated to Chicago. After the great Chicago fire of 1871, which caused the loss of all his household effects, he, along with his wife and a three-month-old baby, returned to Cincinnati in 1872. Soon after that, Mr Berninghaus started manufacturing perfumes and barber's lotions in a small room at the corner of Richmond and Freemont streets which was later removed to Western Avenue, where he began to manufacture barber's chairs and barber's furniture. He passed away at the age of 79 in 1924. However, the business carried on long after his passing until 1938.
Eugene Berninghaus designed the first chair ever that reclined and revolved at the same time. This revolutionary product was named Paragon. Paragon was a response to their rival, the Archer Company, in which the design made it possible for the chair to raise and lower mechanically. The company became famous for the model named "Hercules." Hercules was created with the finest kinds of wood, including Oak, Mahogany and Walnut. It also has some cast iron portions. The upholstery was either leather or mohair plush.
A lesser-known fact about the Berninghaus barber chair is that it was actually used as a time machine. Though not in reality, this barber chair was used to create the iconic time machine in the movie Time Machine by H.G. Wells. They used a modified version of the 1899 version of the "Hercules" #58 model. M.G.M studio that owned the movie, along with their other movie props, auctioned off the chair. It was sold for about $4000 to a person who intended to take it on a journey across the U.S. For the next two years, the whereabouts of the machine remained unknown.
For the many unique features and the prestige as the first barber chair company in the U.S., collectors highly value antique Berninghaus barber chairs. Some of the chairs are the oldest barber chairs in the world, making them more expensive than other vintage and antique barber chairs. The e-commerce site eBay is one of the best sources to find Berninghaus barber chairs. An original E. Berninghaus Hercules barber chair with a work station in perfect condition was put up for sale on eBay for $5700. The rare chair bears the patent date of May 28th 1901. This century-old chair came with a station, table, and mirror combo. Also, Fausto Ferrari's shop operating in Cincinnati since 1957 has a good collection of Berninghaus barber chairs produced later than 1930.
With many innovative and pioneering Berninghaus barber chairs' models, they have led the massive industry of barber chairs that we see today. Check out the other types of antique barber chairs and where you can find them.
