A trend for extravagant facial hair in the early 1800s saw some men donning fake sideburns so that they could join in with the fad, research has revealed.
A British historian said that the craze was so strong that the trendsetters were prepared to suffer ridicule and abuse from other members of the public.
It wasn’t just men jumping on the beardy bandwagon, either — reports suggest that woman drew on false whiskers and grew hair down the sides of their faces too.
A hipster-esque trend for extravagant facial hair in the early 1800s saw some men donning fake sideburns so that they could join in with the fad, research has revealed. Pictured: an illustration of 19th Century ‘whiskerandos’ (left) and a modern hipster (right)
‘Whiskers quickly became an essential accoutrement to any young man — or “young buck”, as they were described — with social pretensions,’ said historian Alun Withey of the University of Exeter.
‘By 1812 the trend was apparently in full flow, and certainly appears to have been popular in London.’
For example, a correspondent to ‘The Tradesman, or Commercial Magazine’ in the July of that year professed astonishment at the ‘spreading proportion of hair on the human face’ he had recently witnessed.
The trend, the writer continued, was nothing less than a ‘whiskered mania’ and one which had ‘very far overstepped its bounds.’
As was inevitable, the fad quickly spurred a market for various lotions and potions to help men care for their facial hail. Products such as ‘Russia Oil’, for example, claimed to make hair ‘grow thick and long, even in bald places, whiskers, eyebrows.’
In 1807, perfumer John Chasson of Cornhill, London, began advertising his ‘Incomparable Fluid’ for changing hair, whiskers and eyebrows from grey or ‘red’ to ‘beautiful and natural shades of brown and black’.
Similar preparations were abound by the year 1815.
The period also saw the rise of new wig technologies which allowed for the addition of fake facial hair by means of a system of springs attached to the wearer’s head.
For example, Robinson of Portman Square — a London-based maker of ‘perukes’, or wigs — began advertising in 1802 the sale of his ‘Natural Spring Wigs’, which were available for purchase either ‘with or without whiskers’.
‘Whiskers quickly became an essential accoutrement to any young man — or “young buck”, as they were described — with social pretensions,’ said historian Alun Withey of the University of Exeter. Pictured: a photograph of an unknown Victorian gentleman sporting huge facial hair
British historian Alun Withey said that the craze was so strong that the trendsetters were prepared to suffer ridicule and abuse from other members of the public. Pictured, an illustration mocking 19th century whiskerandos. The sketch was scathingly captioned: ‘They look not like the Inhabitant o’the Earth and yet are on’t’
When it came to the new craze, women were not left out, however.
Several fashion journals — among them the popular ‘Le Belle Epoque’ — reported of an emerging trend for ladies to train their lovelocks down the side of their faces ‘in imitation of whiskers.’
An advertisement by Chasson, for example, indicated that some women took to using pencils to draw facial hair onto their cheeks.
Meanwhile, a ‘Tricosian Fluid’ was lauded for its merits for women who wanted to dye their eyebrows and whiskers.
‘Whiskers were part of the recognised “uniform” of the dandy, the young metropolitan elite,’ explained Dr Withey.
‘Like beards, those who sported them thought it added to their masculinity, making them seem stronger.’
‘But the variety of products on offer show that perhaps older men, and even some women, wanted to join the trend.’
Just like more recent trends in facial hair, whiskers also divided public opinion.
Wearers of elaborate facial hair were accused not only of having suspect political affiliations, or being of dubious moral character, but also of appearing ‘monstrous’.
Just like more recent trends in facial hair, whiskers also divided public opinion. Wearers of elaborate facial hair were accused not only of having suspect political affiliations, or being of dubious moral character, but also of appearing ‘monstrous’. Pictured: Modern-day extravagant whiskers as sported by contestants in the 2018 British Beard and Moustache Championships
While some women did appear to approve of the fashion, others reportedly remained unconvinced.
In 1800, for example, the Lady Melesina Trench confided in her diary how unimpressed she was after seeing a French minister’s whiskers, noting that in her opinion they ‘contributed to the dinginess of his appearance.’
One Lady Sydney Owenson, meanwhile, went to great lengths to dissuade her husband not to grow out his facial hair in 1811 — incorporating in her entreaty two unflattering caricatures of him with whiskers in what was then the current style.
‘Just as today’s hipsters are sometimes mocked for their extravagant beards, the “whiskerandos” of early 19th century England also faced ridicule,’ said Dr Withey.
‘But they carried on regardless, slathering their precious facial hair with ointments and lotions until the fashion slowly diminished in the 1820s.’
The findings of Dr Withey’s research are published in his new book, Concerning Beards: Facial Hair, Health and Practice in England, 1650–1900 as well as his blog post, What About Whiskers? The forgotten facial hair fashion of 19th-century Britain.