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The History of Stork Scissors
An alsatian symbol turned French tradition
The legend of storks delivering new-borns appeared in Alsace in the 1850s, a region where this bird is very present in popular imagery.
This tradition then spread to the rest of France at the beginning of the 20th century. It is at this period that scissors in the shape of a stork began to appear. Originally, many stork scissors were not sharp at the tips because… they were used to cut the umbilical cord on newborn babies!
With its large beak and big feet, the silhouette of this elegant bird fits particularly well to the scissor form.
Larger models are much more difficult to come by than the smaller version.
These charming and whimsical stork scissors have never ceased to be manufactured.
However, one must be cautious, as some modern productions are of rather poor quality.
Collection of stork scissors of various sizes dating from the 1950s.
Vintage Stork Scissors
Two models from the 1930s, very finely engraved. Note the difference in the silhouettes of the two storks. The pair of scissors on the right is of a higher quality than the other, a more artisanal model.
On the right: not all bird-shaped scissors are necessarily related to needlework, as the scissors on the left are actually for grapes! They are from the catalogue of Carnot, a cutler who, in the 1910s, ran a shop in Besançon, in the Doubs. Although described as a stork by the merchant, the body of the bird resembles more a pigeon... Those on the right are indeed embroidery scissors, but here again, it looks more like a pigeon than a stork.
See the Sajou stork scissors we offer in three sizes:
a miniature model, a classic-sized embroidery model, and a large sewing model, which is quite rare to find.
