A software rendering of a spinning barber poleBarber pole, c. 1938,North Carolina Museum of HistoryBarber shop in Torquay, Devon, England, with red and white pole
Abarber's pole is a type ofsign used bybarbers to signify the place or shop where they perform their craft. The trade sign is, by a tradition dating back to theMiddle Ages, a staff orpole with ahelix of coloredstripes (often red and white in many countries, but usually red, white and blue in Canada, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Hungary, and the United States). The pole may be stationary or may rotate, often with the aid of anelectric motor.[1][2] The consistent use of this advertising symbol can be seen as analogous to anapothecary'sshow globe, atobacconist'scigar store Indian[3] and apawn broker'sthree gold balls.[4]
A "barber's pole" with a helical stripe is a familiar sight, and is used as a secondarymetaphor to describe objects in many other contexts. For example, if the shaft or tower of alighthouse has been painted with a helical stripe as adaymark, the lighthouse could be described as having been painted in "barber's pole" colors.
Antique red and blue striped pole in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United States
During theMiddle Ages, barbers performedsurgery on customers, as well astooth extractions. The original pole had abrassenwash basin at the top (representing the vessel in whichleeches were kept) and bottom (representing the basin that received the blood). The pole itself represents the staff that the patient gripped during the procedure to encourage blood flow,[5] and the twined polemotif is likely related to theCaduceus, the staff of the Greek god of speed and commerceHermes, evidenced for example by early physician van Helmont's description of himself as"Francis Mercurius Van Helmont, A Philosopher by that one in whom are all things, A WanderingHermite."[6]
InRenaissance-eraAmsterdam, the surgeons used the colored stripes to indicate that they were prepared tobleed their patients (red), set bones or pull teeth (white), or give a shave if nothing more urgent was needed (blue).[10]
After the formation of theUnited Barber Surgeon's Company inEngland, astatute required the barber to use a red and white pole and the surgeon to use a red pole. In theKingdom of France, surgeons used a red pole with a basin attached to identify their offices. Blue often appears on poles in theUnited States, possibly as a homage to its national colors. Another, more fanciful interpretation of these barber pole colors is that red representsarterial blood, blue is symbolic ofvenous blood, and white depicts the bandage.[11]
In any event, the barber pole became emblematic of the profession.[12]
Prior to 1950, there were four manufacturers of barber poles in the United States. In 1950,William Marvy ofSt. Paul, Minnesota, started manufacturing barber poles. Marvy made his 50,000th barber pole in 1967, and, by 2010, over 82,000 had been produced.[13] The William Marvy Company is now the sole manufacturer of barber poles in North America, and sells only 500 per year (compared to 5,100 in the 1960s).[14] In recent years, the sale of spinning barber poles has dropped considerably, since few barber shops are opening, and many jurisdictions prohibit moving signs. Koken ofSt. Louis, Missouri, manufactured barber equipment such as chairs and assorted poles in the 19th century.
The barber pole used to indicate the practice of a "barber-surgeon" who also performedtooth extraction,cupping,leeching,bloodletting,enemas,amputations, etc. Today's barber poles represent only barbershops where hair is cut and beards are shaved.[15] As early as 1905, use of the poles was reported to be "diminishing" in the United States.[16]
Barber poles have become a topic of controversy in the hairstyling business. In some American states, such asMichigan in March 2012, legislation has emerged proposing that barber poles should only be permitted outside barbershops, but not traditional beauty salons. Barbers and cosmetologists have engaged in several legal battles claiming the right to use the barber pole symbol to indicate to potential customers that the business offers haircutting services. Barbers claim that they are entitled to exclusive rights to use the barber pole because of the tradition tied to the craft, whereascosmetologists think that they are equally capable of cutting men's hair (though many cosmetologists are not permitted to userazors, depending on their state's laws).[17]
InSouth Korea, barber's poles are used both for actual barbershops and for brothels.[18] Brothels disguised as barbershops, referred to as 이발소 (ibalso) or 미용실 (miyongsil), are more likely to use two poles next to each other, often spinning in opposite directions, though the use of a single pole for the same reason is also quite common.[19] Actual barbershops, or 미용실 (miyongsil), are more likely to be hair salons; to avoid confusion, they will usually use a pole that shows a picture of a woman with flowing hair on it with the wordshair salon written on the pole.
A spinning barber pole creates avisual illusion, in which the stripes appear to be traveling up or down the length of the pole,[20] rather than around it.[21]
Barber pole-like structures have been observed at the cellular level. The effects, origins and causes are controversial, and are subject to intense research.[23]
Sinosauropteryx (meaning "Chinese reptilian wing",[25] in Chinese 中华龙鸟:zhonghua longniao) is the firstgenus of non-aviandinosaur found with the fossilized impressions offeathers, as well as the first non-avian dinosaur where coloration has been determined. It lived in China during the earlyCretaceous period and was a close relative ofCompsognathus. It was the first non-avialan dinosaur genus discovered from the famousJehol Biota ofLiaoning Province. Zhang found "that the filaments running down its back and tail may have made the dinosaur look like an orange-and-white-striped barber pole. Such a vibrant pattern suggest that 'feathers first arose as agents for color display,' Benton says."[26]
In the insect world, there is the barber polegrasshopper,Dactylotum bicolor.[32] It is also known as the "painted grasshopper" and is said to be the "most beautiful" grasshopper.[33]
Because of its bright bands and colors, the redbanded rockfishSebastes babcocki is referred to as "barber pole". Other pseudonyms include bandit, convict, canary, Hollywood, and Spanish flag.[34]
The old-fashioned Americanstick candy is sometimes also referred to as "barber pole candy" due to its colorful, swirled appearance. (See alsocandy cane.) "Candy stripe" is a generic description of the candy canecolor scheme. Among many other names, the candy has been calledPolkagris.[35]
Inuser interface design, a barber pole-like pattern is used inprogress bars when the wait time is indefinite. It is intended to be used like athrobber to tell the user that processing is continuing, although it is not known when the processing will complete.[citation needed]
Barber pole is also sometimes used to describe a text pattern where a line of text is rolled left or right one character on the line below. TheCHARGEN service generates a form of this pattern. It is used to testRAM,hard disks and printers. A similar pattern is also used insecure erasure of media.((cn))
The strength and direction ofmagnetic fields and electric currents can be measured using a "magnetoresistive barber-pole sensor" (also called a "hermetic proximity sensor"), and its performance can be depicted using a mathematical formula.[36] Such a sensor interleaves a series of permanent magnet strips with a series of magnetoresistive strips. The "conductive barberpole strips are canted across the sensor and connect one magnetoresistive strip, over a permanent magnet strip, to another magnetoresistive strip." This is said to provide a "uniformmagnetic field throughout the sensor" thereby enhancing its resistance to external magnetic fields.[37] The technology is used inwireless sensor networks which "have gathered a lot of attention as an important research domain" and were "deployed in many applications, e.g.,navigation, military,ambient intelligence, medical, and industrial tasks. Context-based processing and services, in particular location-context, are of key interest ..."[38] (SeeMusic (acoustic illusion), infra.)
Primary Flight Display (PFD) with the ASI in the form of "Airspeed Tape" with barber pole, including ASI and Machmeter for a jet aircraft.
The termon the barber pole orkeep it on the barber pole is pilot jargon that refers to flying an aircraft at the maximum safe velocity. Theairspeed Indicator on aircraft capable of flying at altitude features a red/white striped needle resembling a barber pole. This needle displays the VMO (Maximum Operating Velocity) or—at altitude—the MMO (Mach Limit Maximum Operating Speed) of the aircraft.[39] This needle also indicates the maximum operating Mach number above the VMO/MMO changeover level. As the aircraft increases in altitude and the air decreases in density and temperature, the speed of sound also decreases. Close to the speed of sound, an aircraft becomes susceptible tobuffeting caused by shock waves produced by flying attransonic speeds. Thus, as the speed of sound decreases, so the maximum safe operating speed of the aircraft is reduced. The "barber pole" needle moves to indicate this speed. Flying "on the barber pole" therefore means to be flying the aircraft as fast as is safe to do so in the current conditions.[40]
Barberpole is a phrase used to describe the striped output of indicators used during theApollo andShuttle programs. Typically an indicator was positioned below a switch. When the switch was activated and the activation indeed performed, the resulted activation was talked back via a separated electrical line to the barberpole indicator to show a grey and white striped pattern, thus verifying the action to the astronaut. Such switches with barberpole indicators were calledtalkback switches. Various indicators in the Apollo Command Modules indicated barberpole when the corresponding system was inactive. AstronautJim Lovell can also be found describing system indications as "barber poled" in the transcript of radio transmissions during theApollo 13 accident.[41]
The phrasebarberpole continues to be found in many subsystem descriptions in theSpace Shuttle News Reference Manual,[42] as well as theNASA/KSC Acronym List.[43]
During World War I and World War II, the pattern has also been used as aninsignia for aircraft identification.[44]Spad XIIIs of the94th Aero SquadronUSAS in early 1919 used variations on barber pole patterns, including: "Barber Pole" of Lieutenant Dudley "Red" Outcault; S.16546 "Flag Bus" of CaptainReed Chambers; and "Rising Sun" of Lieutenant John Jeffers.[45]
The phrasebarber pole is derisive jargon incraps, and refers to the commingling of "gaming cheques of different denominations". Wagers that combine different denominations are "supposed to be stacked with the highest denomination at the bottom".[47][48]
The Screaming Eagles101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) CommandParachuteDemonstration Team, which operates out ofFort Campbell, Kentucky, executes a "barber pole maneuver" (also known as "the Baton Pass") during demonstrations.[49][unreliable source?] Two jumpers leave the aircraft and fly their bodies together to link while infree fall. "Once together they will then exchange a wooden baton ... [and] maneuver their bodies ... to create the illusion of a giant barber pole in the sky."[49]
Alternatively, a "Four Man Star" can "Hook Up" and then the formation rotates to the right, creating a "Barber Pole" effect with use of trailing smoke.[50]
Another parachuting use of the term describes having a mess of lines tangled "behind your head and you have to cut away your main chute and pull your reserve."[51]
Red orrubric posts were sometimes used bybooksellers in England prior to 1800. William Roberts reports inThe Book Hunter in London that certain 18th-century bookshops in the Little Britain district of London sported such poles:
A few years before Nichols published [in 1816] hisLiterary Anecdotes, two booksellers used to sport their rubric posts close to each other here in Little Britain, and these rubric posts were once as much the type of a bookseller's shop as the pole is of a barber's ... Sewell, Cornhill, and Kecket and De Hondt, Strand, were among the last to use these curious trade signs.[56]
The famousBarber Pole Group was originally a group of 120Flower-class corvettes built in Canada during World War II, and charged primarily with protecting freighterconvoys. The original group was Escort Group C-3. This group of ships, with its red and white barber pole stripes painted on the funnel, is still represented in the currentRoyal Canadian Navy: allAtlantic fleet ships wear this insignia.HMCS Sackville is the last remaining Flower-class corvette.[57][58][59]
In the 1896–97 season, theOttawa Senators first adopted the "barber pole" design for theirhockey jersey, with which the team became identified. The design featured strong horizontal stripes of red, black and white; white pants; and red, white and black striped stockings. This basic design would be used for the rest of the organization's existence, except for the 1909–1910 season. In that season, the stripes were vertical and Montreal fans nicknamed the team derisively asles suisses, a slang term forchipmunk.[64] In the1929–30 season, the club added the "O" logo to the chest of the jersey.[65] The "barber-pole" uniform was later adopted by theOttawa 67's junior hockey team.
In the 1920s and 1930s, beginning in the 1927–28 season, the Senators,Boston Bruins,Montreal Maroons,Chicago Blackhawks,Detroit Cougars, andToronto Maple Leafs had a barber's pole variation in their jerseys. Meanwhile, theNew York Americans, wore "basically ... the United States flag as a jersey." The style endured, but in the 1938–39 season, the Blackhawks were the last to have a barber pole jersey in the traditional sense. The Hawks retired their barber pole at the end of the 1954–55 season.[66]
The style remained dormant until theNational Hockey League's 75th anniversary, when Chicago wore replicas of their barber-pole sweaters as part of the league's celebrations. Since then, Montreal has also worn barber-pole replicas during their centenary season, and the design has become popular with amateur teams. SeeNHL uniform andThrowback uniform.
"Barberpoleflanging", also known as "infinite flanging" sonic illusion, is similar to the Shepard tone effect. "Barberpole Flanger" is one such,open sourceVSTaudio plug-in, implementation (with four differentalgorithms). The sweep of the "flanged sound seems to move in only one direction ("up" or "down") infinitely, instead of sweeping back-and-forth."[70]
"Barberpolephaser".Roger Shepard's original work used a computer program written byMax Mathews. However, the same type of effect can be accomplished using ananalog synthesizer controlled by a gadget which may be called a "Shepard Function Generator".[71][72]Harald Bode (popularizer of the Moogvocoder) invented a rack-mounted device called a "barberpole phaser" which was marketed in the 1980s.[73][unreliable source?]
^Used to keep the end of a rope from fraying and said to resemble a barber's pole. Though highly decorative, and historically one of the most common knots, on a modern yacht it is almost unused and unknown.[24]
^"Barbasol Co. v. Jacobs. No. 8969" (full text).7th Circuit Court of Appeals, 160 F.2d 336. 1947. Retrieved15 December 2010.As the court noted: 'Plaintiff's shaving cream product is identified by the word trade mark "Barbasol" and by the distinctive package design trade mark hereinafter referred to. Said product is displayed and offered for sale in two types of cartons. One of said cartons is of rectangular shape, the length of which is about 3½ times its width and the depth is a little less than the width. In addition to the word "Barbasol" being provided thereon, the carton has a striped border of blue, white and red diagonal stripes surrounding a rectangular panel or field in blue color. The shaving cream disposed in this type of carton is packed in an elongated soft metal tube, which is received and housed within said carton. The other type of carton is approximately square and it also has the word trade mark "Barbasol" provided thereon, and the entire carton is provided with diagonal colored stripes of red, white and blue, said stripes forming a border for a blue field, on which appears the word "Barbasol" and other printed matter. The shaving cream is disposed in a glass jar of octangular cross section and upon which the word "Barbasol" appears. The jar is white and is disposed within the square carton.'
^Calado, Ricardo; Lin, Junda; Lecaillon, Gilles; Rhyne, Andrew L. (2017),"Shrimp",Marine Ornamental Species Aquaculture, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, p. 480,doi:10.1002/9781119169147.ch22a,ISBN978-1-119-16914-7, retrieved18 September 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
^Marlos, Daniel (16 September 2010)."Barber Pole Grasshopper".What's That Bug?. Retrieved14 November 2010.
^"Candy Cane". The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin, English Edition. 7 October 2010. Retrieved1 December 2010.
^Tuman'skia, S.; Stabrowskia, M. (August 1985). "The Optimization and Design of Magnetoresistive Barber-Pole Sensors".Sensors and Actuators.7 (4). Lausanne, Switzerland: NATO Advanced Study Institute on Chemically Sensitive Electronic Devices:285–295.doi:10.1016/0250-6874(85)80008-1.ISSN0250-6874.
^US patent 5737156, Bonyhard, Peter I., "Barberpole MR sensor having interleaved permanent magnet and magnetoresistive segments", published 7 April 1998, assigned to Seagate Technology, Inc.
^Grinter, Kay; Rybe, Jeanne (20 February 2009)."NASA/KSC Acronym List". Kennedy Space Center: National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Archived fromthe original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved14 November 2010.
^Scott, Royce E. "Bo" (July–August 1988)."Jump School at Fort Benning"(PDF).Screaming Eagle Magazine. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 30 November 2010. Retrieved14 November 2010.
^Wobser, David."White Shoal Light".Lighthouses of the Great Lakes. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping. Archived fromthe original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved14 November 2010.
