Why the Congress

cnas122 said:
Well, I can sure tell you the most valuable Congress around...this one...

lincolncongress.jpg


The six-blade Sheffield Ivory Congress that President Lincoln was carrying the night he was assassinated
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Really interesting picture there:thumbup:
Are there any pix of it opened at all?
Perhaps Lincoln's use of it was how it got the name Congress?
 
I'm merely pulling this out of my posterior as well, but I looked up "congress" in the dictionary and one of the definitions was, "the act of coming together; an encounter; meeting". Appropriate name for a knife where 4-6+ blades have to all come together without intruding on the others space when closed!

(I'm actually stone sober too while writing this!!)
 
Modoc ED said:
I've never been able to figure it out so one or some of you guys might be able to help me understand why or how the old tradition Congress pattern came to be. Why in most cases does it have two identical main blades and two identical secondary blades? Why the need for a 4-blade knife, which makes it bulky to carry, for an every day carry knife? As far as I know, the Congress pattern is one of our oldest tradition patterns. Was the Congress meant to be a whittler perhaps? Anyone have any input for me on this? Thanks.
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The Congress was designed as a pen knife and the bent handle is perfectly shaped for placing a major sheepfoot blade and a minor pen blade. It made a near perfect pen knife and was so popular that it becan to be made as a jack knife, vbery useful as well for many things that needed doing 100 or so years ago. A Strong general purpose knife.
 
I will hazard a guess (then subscribe to the thread because I too would like to know how this pattern came into popularity). My guess is that it was named for Congress' reputation for overspending, overdoing, and generally going insane. Need one blade, heck with that, here's six! Cheers. :)
 
Here's a couple more pics.

First is the contents of Lincoln's pockets at time of death which includes the congress knife

a47fb775.jpg


Next is a open picture of his congress

28cfbe59.jpg


It's not the best pic but it's better than nothing I guess. Hahah.

I'm going to look around some more and I'll let you guys know what I find.
 
Well after some more searching I couldn't find anything other than people saying they don't know and others speculating. I'm going to call it a night.
 
I can't comment about the blades on the congress. My take about the name of the congress pattern is fairly simple. If you look at the knife from the side it is obviously "crooked" or bent. Now take a look at Congress, the legislative body. Somebody designed the knife and needed a name for the pattern. He looked at it in its' crooked form and said "looks like Congress to me."

Yes I pulled it out of my rectum, but it sounds damn good especially if you look at Congress nowadays!!:eek:
 
Yes, very nice and a neglected pattern the Half Congress in many ways.

Neeman, that Schatt you showed has a good and useful assortment of blades:thumbup:
 
I thought the pattern was named after Congress because of 'two houses, divided but equal' reflecting the symmetry of blades.
 
willgoy said:
Yes, very nice and a neglected pattern the Half Congress in many ways.

Neeman, that Schatt you showed has a good and useful assortment of blades:thumbup:
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thanks,

Half Congress neglected?

Queen 4" in Cocobolo and D2 in a single spring with an extra spacer

picture.php
 
I don't know the history behind it but I like them because 4 blades extends the time between sharpening sessions.
 
Northfield stag, symmetrical arrangement of sheepfoot and pen.
Bulldog mastodon ivory, 2 sheepfoot, cope and pen.
Bulldog MOP, 3 spring, 6 blades, all different.
Schatt & Morgan bone, 4 blades, all different.
Boker stag, 4 blades, all different.

Congress001.jpg
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