The barber is gone

Old barber shop in White Springs, Florida - Photo: Still Gravity.
Closed barber shop in White Springs, Florida - License our images here.

Modernity and the big cities left the barber behind. The exodus from rural America stole most of the clients. Closed businesses are a common sight in many towns of the countryside.  

Do you know the meaning of the colors in the barber poles? I didn't, but this picture made me look for it - I learn a lot taking photos. 

These poles are red and white in Europe and tricolor in the United States. The old-time barbers were "quasi-doctors", providing services as sort of "surgeons" and "dentists". It's said that the red stripes in the poles are about bloodletting, and the blue of the American barbers was added for patriotism - read more here. 

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