When work was a grind

[kestrel9]

Knife grinders in early 1900s France, lying face down at work to save their backs, with their dogs to keep their legs warm
These craftsmen hold knives all day to sharpen them.
This can sometimes cause strain on their backs. However, they are lying on their stomachs to reduce the strain.

https://zohark.com/posts/creepy-and-cap ... g-photos/3

They wear strong leather aprons to protect their clothes from damage. They are known for being storytellers and entertainers in the village to get new clients and create publicity. Poorer laborers were encouraged to bring dogs with them because they could lie there for hours without getting cold.

[Thisismyaccount]

AKA White privilege.

[doginventer]

lying face down at work to save their backs, with their dogs to keep their legs warm

Not buying any of that, but I have no idea what’s actually going on here.

[kestrel9]

lying face down at work to save their backs, with their dogs to keep their legs warm

Not buying any of that, but I have no idea what’s actually going on here.

Oh Reeally?


https://mechtraveller.com/2020/01/thier ... of-france/

Thiers, Cutlery Capital of France

The town’s craftsmen (& women) have been making knives for over 800 years, using the power of the fast moving Durolle river to drive their grinding stones, on which they shaped and sharpened their blades lying down. Many of the “Yellow Bellies” – as they were known, for the grinding dust coating the front of their clothes – were photographed or drawn with a dog lying on their legs (only one in the photo above). Encouraged by management, this helped keep them warm in winter.

But Thiers is certainly not a historic museum or backwater. Two thousand of the town’s eleven & a half thousand population are actively involved in today’s cutlery industry**. The 78 cutlery manufacturers and 34 artisan knife makers, produce 350,000 pieces daily – 70% of French cutlery.

That’s everything from table knives (& forks), kitchen knives, bread knives, hunting knives, combat knives, scissors, potato peelers, secateurs, razors (of the cutthroat variety!), sabers, swords, surgical instruments, and even blades for food processors and lawnmowers… but especially pocket knives.

Pocket knives are part of French culture; certainly in the countryside. A friend recounts the look of utter incomprehension on a Frenchman’s face recently when she told him nobody carries a large pocket knife on them in the UK.

“BUT…. how do you cut your saucisson??!!!,” he exclaimed.

Folding pocket knives came into fashion (literally) in France at the end of the 17th century when pockets first appeared in men’s clothes and table manners evolved. It was a mark of civility… that didn’t really make it across the Channel!

Thiers served that surge in demand for high quality, durable & sharp, knives, with innovative & reliable folding mechanisms, and elegant handles in a range of materials***. The reputation of the Theirnois knife was established.

So, it’s no surprise that if you visit Thiers now, the first thing you’ll notice is the abundance of knife shops in the medieval centre of town. Some are retailers. Some are artisan cutlers.

Knives have got a bad rep these days. Too many loonies & gangsters are running around stabbing people. So it’s easy to forget they can be, not just practical tools, but also works of art, cultural icons and status symbols. Many of the world’s top chefs will make a special pilgrimage to Thiers to buy their specialist knives, or order online from their favourite shop.

This expanded pic shows another dog


************

It's still a thing (Japan?)

[doginventer]

lying face down at work to save their backs, with their dogs to keep their legs warm

Not buying any of that, but I have no idea what’s actually going on here.

Oh Reeally? :ugeek:


https://mechtraveller.com/2020/01/thier ... of-france/

Thiers, Cutlery Capital of France

The town’s craftsmen (& women) have been making knives for over 800 years, using the power of the fast moving Durolle river to drive their grinding stones, on which they shaped and sharpened their blades lying down. Many of the “Yellow Bellies” – as they were known, for the grinding dust coating the front of their clothes – were photographed or drawn with a dog lying on their legs (only one in the photo above). Encouraged by management, this helped keep them warm in winter.

But Thiers is certainly not a historic museum or backwater. Two thousand of the town’s eleven & a half thousand population are actively involved in today’s cutlery industry**. The 78 cutlery manufacturers and 34 artisan knife makers, produce 350,000 pieces daily – 70% of French cutlery.

That’s everything from table knives (& forks), kitchen knives, bread knives, hunting knives, combat knives, scissors, potato peelers, secateurs, razors (of the cutthroat variety!), sabers, swords, surgical instruments, and even blades for food processors and lawnmowers… but especially pocket knives.

Pocket knives are part of French culture; certainly in the countryside. A friend recounts the look of utter incomprehension on a Frenchman’s face recently when she told him nobody carries a large pocket knife on them in the UK.

“BUT…. how do you cut your saucisson??!!!,” he exclaimed.

Folding pocket knives came into fashion (literally) in France at the end of the 17th century when pockets first appeared in men’s clothes and table manners evolved. It was a mark of civility… that didn’t really make it across the Channel!

Thiers served that surge in demand for high quality, durable & sharp, knives, with innovative & reliable folding mechanisms, and elegant handles in a range of materials***. The reputation of the Theirnois knife was established.

So, it’s no surprise that if you visit Thiers now, the first thing you’ll notice is the abundance of knife shops in the medieval centre of town. Some are retailers. Some are artisan cutlers.

Knives have got a bad rep these days. Too many loonies & gangsters are running around stabbing people. So it’s easy to forget they can be, not just practical tools, but also works of art, cultural icons and status symbols. Many of the world’s top chefs will make a special pilgrimage to Thiers to buy their specialist knives, or order online from their favourite shop.

This expanded pic shows another dog


************

It's still a thing (Japan?)

OK :oops: thanks for the clarification. Now I can see it’s clearly a bunch of drunken frenchmen lying down on the job.
Probably the Japanese gentleman is just too polite to show them up. ;)