Have you ever looked at pictures of your ancestors and everyone has facial hair but the next generation is clean shaven? Maybe they have waxed mustaches to a point or even a pencil thin mustache. Maybe a full bushy beard or just under the chin beard. Facial hair could be a clue if you are not sure of the year an old family photo was taken, especially if it is a multigenerational photograph. Here are a few trends for facial hair in the United States over the years.
During the 1840’s and the 1850’s facial hair was often associated with the French. Because of the 3rd French Revolution many men avoided having any facial hair. Some wore fringe beards under the chin. While in the 1850’s big changes were in store. Men were encouraged for years to have no facial hair but big changes in England lead to changes here! In 1831 those in the British Army, specifically in India started a “mustache movement” which lasted until about the Crimean War. During the War many grew bushy beards to stay warm. Facial hair now was considered manly, to be worn by brave men. So the popularity of facial hair grew not only in Europe but the United States.
In the United States beards stayed popular because of frontiersmen.
In the United States beards stayed popular because of frontiersmen. When the Civil War started there were many kinds of facial hair styles. Some wore clean shaven chins and their beards were known as 'sideburns' after General Burnside as seen above. Abraham Lincoln had a very distinctive beard, and Presidents Grant, Hayes, and Garfield followed his lead. After the Civil War there were so many different kinds of facial hair styles barbers had charts where you could pick the style of facial hair you wanted.
In the US, by the 1890’s to early 1900’s beards were less common and more men were clean shaven.
By the 1890’s to early 1900’s beards were less common and more men were clean shaven or had highly styled mustaches like the handlebar mustache. During this period a lot of time, effort, and resources went into facial hair. Yet, it was during these years when King Gillette saw an opportunity to patent his disposable razor to those who decided against facial hair.
During World War I the United States military required no facial hair for sanitation along with making sure gas masks fit properly. But this is the time frame of the “toothbrush mustache”. What is that you ask? Think Charlie Chaplin! By the 1930’s and 1940’s Errol Flynn’s pencil mustache and Clark Gable’s Gone With the Wind mustaches were all the rage.
Have you seen any of these facial hair trends in family pictures? I know I will be going back through pictures and relooking at the facial hair of the men in my family pictures. Now you can use fashion, accessories and facial hair in helping judge time periods in family photographs.
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