
Seated man with grand muttonchops
What it is:
Photo measuring 2.25 x 3.75 inches. Probably a carte de visite (CDV) that has been trimmed.
What I know about it:
Nothing! Undated and unidentified.
Comments:
Many of the photos I have from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire came from a single eBay purchase grouped around the theme of men with fabulous facial hair. I’m assuming it’s just a coincidence, but perhaps men in that time and place strutted their stuff with their facial hair more than elsewhere? In any case, this photo was among them. It seems that any information that would have helped identify the photo’s origins has been trimmed away, possibly to fit a frame, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn it was another one of the Austrians. Regardless, it’s a fun photo to look at.
The muttonchops are er. . . interesting. What is with the remainder of his hair? It looks as though he has a clamshell perched on the top of his head. An early hairpiece?
It certainly does look odd, doesn’t it? But I was assuming it was just artificially styled, rather being outright artificial. I could be wrong, and hairpieces certainly existed back then.
Wow those are some impressive ‘chops.
Agreed! They almost double the size of his face.