The unknown gentleman in this carte de visite, which the backmark indicates was taken by S.J. Thompson at 478 Broadway, Albany, NY, is sporting one of the most popular fashions for men during the Civil War era. When photography first became popular during the 1840s, the trend was for men to be cleanshaven, and the overwhelming number of images from this period show that. By the outbreak of the Civil War, however, facial hair became the rage, and one of the most notable proponents of the side burns or "mutton chops" was Union General Ambrose Burnside of Rhode Island, who was much more successful with his beards than in his military prowess. To read more about him, click in this link http:///www.civilwarhome.com/burnbio.htmAnyway, the guy in my image definitely has some good size mutton chops and what I also find interesting is that he has a bit of swagger about him, even a confident sneer on his face! He looks like he was enjoying life. He also had a very large watch and chain, which suggests he was doing well financially. Who said people couldn't look happy in old photos?
1 comment:
great photo! The mutton chop is a cool look on some men it dose not go well with our modern dress now but then it worked great.
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