The seemingly innocent history behind barber poles’ design is far more ghastly than you’d imagine.
In medieval times, barbers didn’t just cut hair, they also performed surgery and dentistry on customers. The red and white stripes of the barber pole were inspired by the practice of bloodletting. This procedure involved drawing blood from a patient to cure them of disease.
It is thought that the red and white stripes were inspired by blood soaked bandages while the pole itself represents the staff that customers held to generate blood flow during the procedure.
In 1163, the three professions were separated. Later, in Renaissance-era Amsterdam, surgeons used colored stripes outside their door to show that they were prepared to bleed patients (red), set bones or pull teeth (white), or give a shave (blue).
The formation of the United Barber Surgeon’s Company, in England, led to a mandate requiring barbers to use a red and white pole and surgeons to use a red pole. It is thought that blue appears on US barbershop poles to incorporate all national colors.
In 1900, Christian Hanson of Savannah, Illinois patented a barber's pole with rotating stripes that could be illuminated at night. Christian envisioned “pleasing designs ... which will have the desired result of demanding and enticing the attention of persons ... as well as clearly give the location in darkness of the business which it represents."
