Tag Archives: mustache

All cozy and bundled up for winter

Bundled up on a tintype. Private Collection.

Bundled up on a tintype. Private Collection.

An affectionate trio posing all bundled up with their overcoats, a knitted fringed scarf and a blanket. Brr! The two in front with their pork pie hat on look like they may have been brothers, the older one with the mustache. I like that the third pal in cap is resting his hands on the other two’s shoulders. There’s a good vibe out of this photograph.

(That scarf reminds me of Hogwarts ha ha)

This tintype is a 6th plate yet is taller than average. It measures 2.5″ by 4″.


The respectable Victorian gentleman

Victorian gentleman with cane, top hat and mustache. Cabinet card. Private Collection.

Victorian gentleman with cane, top hat and mustache. Cabinet card. Private Collection.

No, you are not dreaming. I’m usually not a fan of facial hair but this portrait is so much what a mature Victorian gentleman should look like I just had to get it. Under the mustache this man was a handsome fella.

He looks noble with his gaze going up. Fascinating how facial hair can change one’s appearance. This gent was in his thirties at most but the mustache makes him look older. But yes, I love this one very much.

See, he looks younger now.

See, he looks younger now.

The moustaches are glorious, glorious. I have cut them short, and trimmed them a little at the ends to improve their shape. They are charming, charming. Without them, life would be a blank.” Edgar Allan Poe

I took this quote from a great BBC article explaining the reasons why Victorian men wore beards and mustaches. A fun good read. Thank you, Mr. Gillette, I’ll never see one of your disposable razors the same way again.

The back of this cabinet card is blank.

Creative Commons License


1880s three brothers and their other

Three brothers and their other. Tintype. Private Collection.

1880s three brothers and their other. Tintype. Private Collection.

These three brothers look very close in age, a pair of twins in the mix maybe? Maybe the two in straw boaters to the right. Note the chap to the front left who I think is the third brother, he’s wearing some nice looped buttons on his shirt, a short double tie and a light bowler. The whole look makes him look very ‘western sheriff’. The fourth man looks related too, same ears, same nose but of a darker complexion with different eyes. Maybe he was a cousin…or half brother. Ha! :)

No waistcoats on all four…Too hot for summertime.

Larger detail.

Larger detail.

Creative Commons License
Digital restoration work titled 1880s Three Brothers And Their Other by Caroline C. Ryan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


Mr. Alpha and company

Two canes, three hats, a mustache and a whole lot of attitude. Tintype. Private Collection.

These three 1880s gentlemen by a balustrade are all very well-dressed, the one to the right with the creased pants, the other to the left with a tight-fitting striped pair. All are wearing Windsor ties typical of the decade.

The men look like they were business partners. The confident attitude of the man to the left makes him look like a ruthless go-getter. Roar!


The happiest little cabinet card on earth

'The happiest gent on a cabinet card'. Private Collection.

Man laughing on cabinet card, by Dan Cleave. Private Collection.

My starry-eyed self HAD to add this very happy gent to my collection! And my regular followers know exactly why.

What a picture! Isn’t his laughter just contagious? I’m in love with this. What did the photographer tell his sitter to catch him laughing his head off like this? But whatever Dan Cleave did or say, hats off!

This is a very rare sight on a cabinet card, and such a lovely and precious moment caught at just the right time. The way he wears his straw boater hat too. As you can imagine, this is an absolute favorite of mine. And he’s got a nice set of teeth too. :)

The card has golden scalloped edges. I date this wonderful photograph to be from the 1890s to early 1900s.

Photographer: Dan Cleave. Dexter. Iowa. Back is blank.


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