new thread
Hello everyone,
Has anyone inherited, or found in their attics, pictures of long-haired men taken in the period from 1900 to 1962, showing men with shoulder-length or longer hair. The House of David is a classic example. It could be a picture of a local excentric that became accepted despite his looks, or whatever the reason. It can be a different, more tolerant culture when it comes to hair length.
I am including a picture, dated from 1960, showing an organ grinder from Montreal, who had, at the time and in the late fifties, shoulder-length hair. Remember, that back then, short hair was the norm, and long hair did not really take of as a cultural phenomenon until around 1964, and even then, it meant hair that fell into your eyes. (Except the Beatles had it longer by then).
The organ grinder in the picture was a fixture of the downtown area, and did not attract scorn, except, probably, when his hair started to grow.
Beatniks, then were more know for an unshaven, and short, but dishevelled look, rather than long hair.
Enjoy,
Georges.
Such a cool post Georges.
Sorry I don't have anything but I can't wait to see what is posted in reply to this!
What I'd like to pin down is the point in time that longhair became something to sneer at. Apparently it was ok up to about 1900 or so. In WWI the army started their haircut policy due to trench warfare. I suppose this was carried over into the civilian world although it's just a guess.
Paul
I remember in the old LIFE weekly magazines there was a photograph of a Russian Orthodow Church Priest walking in the street of the city of New York in the 1940's with a beard and mid-back length hair. He wasn't wearing a hat but dressed in priestly robes.
Duncan
I have read, that in 1920's Berlin , you may find a long-haired intellectual in a café. Men in parts of Brittany in France also kept their hair very long. Long hair is quite common in modern Brittany.
Georges
I read a lot of historical novels set in the Napoleonic/Nelson's Navy era (1760 - 1840 ish). Around the early 1800's the characters comment on how more people are wearing "modern" styles. By around 1805 it was considered "old fashioned" (in the books I read) for a sailor to have a long pigtail.
I think part of it had to do with the popularity of wigs - prior to then men would powder and curl their own hair, with a wig, you just pulled it on when you needed to, otherwise kept it short. Short hair would also help keep the lice problems more at bay.
AndrewB
fantastic post Georges. Unfortunately I don't have any pics to share although I hope some come forward with a few it would be interesting.
Kevin
Hello,
Here is a postcard from Britanny France showing a man with shoulder-length hair.
Georges.
Here is a colorful post-card reproduction of an ad for Chemins de Fer de L'Ouest, touting a vacation in Brittany France, as a place for eye candy :)