A Striking Beard: circa 1540-46

"This plaque of Limoges painted enamel on copper bears a portrait of Jacques de Genouillac, known as Galiot, Seigneur d'Assier (1465-1546) as an old man. The plaque was painted by Leonard Limosin (ca.1505-1575/7) whose work was, and still is highly valued for its originality, diverse subject matter, artistic merit and technical skill." ~ Via the Victoria & Albert Museum

May The Force of Hair Be With You

When Facial Hair Gets Political

“Any boy can become president — unless he’s got a mustache.” ~ Thomas A. Dewey

Yesterday The New York Times posted an article about how the new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan growing a beard has caused a stir.

Waiting on confirmation from the House Historian, but apparently, I’m the first Speaker to sport a beard in about 💯 years.

A photo posted by Speaker Paul Ryan (@speakerryan) on Nov 30, 2015 at 1:08pm PST

The power of hair as a vehicle to assert oneself in the world and to convoy unspoken values of any given age is undeniable. But who holds the answers to unlock these hidden hirsute rules? According to Tammy Haddad, a Washington media consultant and former political director of MSNBC, even though Mr. Ryan’s job “is the center of the entire political system, the beard shows that he’s not of Washington, he’s not part of the system.”

Did the beard always hold such outsider status? Perhaps not, but sporting facial hair was often seen as a political act. Beards among clergy were once serious, symbolic matters that at various times Church leaders either required or banned! And let us not forget that even clergy were not immune to the whims of fashion in their day.

Beards were fraught with shifting meaning in lay culture as well, as this 2013 article from The Atlantic points out. Considering a beard? It might serve you well to know your history.

"A Barber's Shop at Richmond, Virginia," from The Illustrated London News, March 9, 1861

 An 1853 Punch magazine sketch satirizes the "beard movement," an old lady is approached by helpful railway guards and
"concludes she is attacked by Brigands."

Build Your Own Wig

The Victorian & Albert Museum has produced a fun, interactive site that allows you to build an 18th-century wig, complete with bows, flowers, and a ship. Make your own today!

Holiday Hair

'Tis the season.....

Hara Kiri: Using Hair to be Satiric & Offensive

The 1960s satiric French magazine Hara Kiri is known for its outrageous covers, sporting the subtitle, "Journal bête et méchant" ("Stupid and vicious magazine").  As a predecessor to Charlie Hebdo -- published by humorist Georges Bernier, author François Cavanna, and artistic director Fred Aristidès --  a number of the cover images, as one might imagine, portrayed hair as grotesque, repugnant, or distasteful.

 "The mode for summer has hair on the beach" - July 1974

  "Is the hair obscene?" - March 1972

  "What, aren't you gagging? Ben, and that, then?" - March 1989