LOST GALLERY has thousands of old photographs. They are grouped by content or subject for easy comparison. Many of the photographs are decades old.
As you probably know already, the moustache was common among gentlemen of yesteryear. From Pencil-Thin to Handlebar, most men cultivated some sort of whiskers on their upper lip. There were no safety razors or electric razors a hundred years ago. Maybe it was vanity, or maybe it was a male ego thing or even an attempt at being stylish. Maybe it was inconvenient to shave under the nose with an ultra sharp straight razor.
In actuality it was more than a bit inconvenient. They had to groom it daily sometimes with moustache wax and use a moustache cup for their coffee. And let me tell you it was no boon during a head cold.
Let's examine a few. There are many portraits of men with a moustache in LOST GALLERY. Let's deal with the moustache only, no beards or muttonchops or goatees or chin curtains. No side-whiskers or neck beards or Shenandoahs.
Also let's look only at cabinet cards, CDVs and tintypes; no snapshots. We can be fairly sure that all of these are more than a century old.
Let's start with this CDV (enlarged here).
It's difficult to select a favorite on a this subject, but this one is certainly is the most treasured.
It's the very first CDV to hang in
LOST GALLERY.
First some of the tintypes.
I'm not sure if this guy has a beard or not.
The original is very faded and the dark area around his neck may just be a result of the extensive enhancement it had to endure.
Here's a real Western Gunfighter sort of moustache..
I think I might have an idea why this fellow was growing a moustache...
So, wax on back to the
SEPIA SATURDAY home page and see what else you can find right under your nose.
Go back to THE MAIN INDEX PAGE
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Wow! That's a lotta moustaches! When I see old photos like that, I can't help but wonder what sort of people they were. Too bad they weren't allowed to smile in photographs back then or it might be possible to gain at least a hint about their personality. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gil Perlee. I have heard an old theory that suggests that photographers would try to remedy the slow film and lens by admonishing his subjects to hold very still. The photographer would say something like, "Hold your lips very still and don't move your eyes." This often prompted the subject into a wide-eyed stare and clenched teeth. The resulting photograph would be of a rather stern looking person without a bit of humor. You might also want to check the Flickr group called "The Smiling Victorian" which features many examples of people who actually smiled at least slightly in these early photo sessions. http://www.flickr.com/groups/513477@N22/pool/
DeleteA splendid assortment of mustache styles. I think the one uncertain photo does have a beard though, (and he is also wearing spectacles.) The vicar from Hull has a very grim brush. Could the gent from Harrisburg with the boutonniere also be a man of the cloth? Being a barber in the 19th century certainly seems like it was a good business model. My own beard is now nearly 2/3-rds my age and I never let my barber mess with it as I prefer the wild and fuzzy look that requires little maintenance.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike Brubaker. I agree, he does seem to have a beard. The original is so faded it is nearly just a yellow card. In later years of collecting old photograph, I began keeping a copy of the original scan plus the enhanced version so I could demonstrate how far it had to be stretched. And yes, the barber shop of the 19th century was an important place held in high regard by everyone. My beard also leans more toward Gabby Hayes than Monty Woolley.
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