What was this brush used for??

Found this cute little brush in some stuff. It looks like a vegetable brush, but it's very small, and the bristles are very soft. It only measures 4 1/2 in long and the brush is 2 in across. The handle is a painted wood.

Was this a beauty brush of some type?? Anyone have any info? Thanks!

 

Dish scrub brush............. https://poshmark.com/listing/vintage-Fuller-scrub-brush-kitchen-dish-tool-5d17b71562e9d590a2f64dd8

 

I remember this or something like it being for scrubbing dishes.

 

As, yes, the Fuller Brush Man!

 

I though this too, but it's MUCH smaller than those. And the bristles are WAY too soft to scrub dishes. The brush you show has stiff bristles. That is what this brush LOOKS like, but small. And the bristles aren't stiff. That's why I'm confused. lol

 

You have a point there. Only 2 inches across?

 

Yes. And the bristles are super soft.

 

I think it may be a little girls hair brush or possibly a nail brush. See the ad below.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-19...as-Holiday-Decor-Print-Ad-1920s-/202213778804

 

I was thinking of something along the same lines as what Peggy has shown.

Back in the 1950's or so, both Stanley & Avon used to make "complexion brushes" with the twisted wire construction and soft bristles.

These are Stanley ones that are the type I was thinking of, but they seem to be a bit bigger than yours:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/491382228/vtg-1950s-stanley-125-powder-brush


https://poshmark.com/listing/Stanle...xion-finishing-brush-5c9c0cdebb76158975df9c59

 

It's a record brush. My Pa had one: I may even still have it somewhere. I think Betterware made them here.

 

You could use it as a mushroom brush.

 

I hate to say it, but this shape always reminds me of toilet brushes. (Obviously can't be one that this size, but still.....)

 

This makes sense. This came out of my Mother in Law's stuff, and she loved dresser sets, women's beauty things, etc. Thanks!

 

I thought the exact same thing. I was totally shocked when I saw that all of their brushes were made in the same shape.

 

My mom had one...use to clean potatoes. But who knows..with my mom...

 

Many of them actually WERE made to be vegetable cleaning brushes. Those were the ones with really stiff bristles, tho.

They were used with any of the thicker-skinned vegetables, particularly those that had grown in the ground.

One idea was that you could clean carrots easily, by drawing them thru the middle "hole" inside the twisted wire part.

 

I still say records. Wish I could find mine.

 

As a child in the 40's we had a larger one with stiffer bristles for scrubbing vegetables that we had just brought in from our garden, but then we has a smaller soft bristle brush for cleaning our combs after soaking them in ammonia and water. We also, used that little one for getting lint and animal hair off of our dark clothes.