Mustaches in the family history

     A recent post by the Photo Detective about men's mustaches in the past led me to look over the photo evidence of these in my family tree. The great great grandfathers I have photos of all have at least a mustache and two have full beards. The one exception I thought I saw was Giovanni Tinetti who lived from 1825-1904 in Northern Italy. But looking at the only photo I have of him it does appear that, indeed!, he has a thin mustache.

Giovanni Tinetti 1897 Torino, Italy

Stephen Avery Kells ca 1877, Minnesota, USA

Johannes Peterson ca 1895, Minnesota, USA

John Marshall Cookson, 1867, Vienna, Ontario, Canada

Benjamin Lester Hudson, about 1915, Saginaw, Michigan, USA

These men all lived from about 1825-1917, except for John Cookson who was younger living from 1848-1936. In Dennis' family the only photos of a great grandfather I have are of his mother's grandfathers, Carl Gustaf Knock and John Mallgren. Both from Sweden and born in the 1840's they still follow this rule.

Carl Gustaf Knock, 1875, Chicago, Illinois, USA

John Mallgren, ca 1911, St. Peter, Minnesota, USA.

Now the next generation, the great grandfathers. They also sport facial hair in their early photos.  But by 1930 or so they have lost it. 

Frank Stefani, 1891 Hurley, Wisconsin, USA

Frank Stefani, ca 1912, Issaquah, Washington, USA

Adolph Peterson, 1885, Dassel, Minnesota, USA

Adolph Peterson, ca 1925 Minneapolis, Minnesota (okay, he never lost his mustache!)

Benjamin M. Hudson 1888, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Benjamin M. Hudson, ca 1912, Fort Worth, Texas, USA

By my grandparents generation, though, mustaches and beards were no longer in fashion. It wasn't until the last years of his life in the 1980's that my grandfather sported a beard!

Walter Peterson, ca 1928, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Walter Peterson, ca 1978, New Mexico, USA

Lucas C. Kells, ca 1920, Seattle, Washington, USA

Neither of Dennis' grandfathers had facial hair either.

James C. Negley, 1948, Los Angeles, California, USA

Carl John Knock, ca 1905, Saint Peter, Minnesota, USA

In my father's generation men were clean shaven. Like his father, my father grew a goatee when he was older.  His brother, however, grew one, almost de rigeur for a psychologist! He went full hippie in his old age!

John Peterson, 1944, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Walter H. Peterson, ca 1959, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Walter H. Peterson, 1988, Lodi, Wisconsin, USA

Jim Negley, ca 1943, Los Angeles, California, USA

But, in the 60's and. especially

the 70's, facial hair for men returned. Dennis Negley, 1974, San Francisco, California, USA

My cousin, Eric Peterson, 1988, Lodi, Wisconsin, USA

My cousin, Ray Dellinger, ca 1988, Berkeley, California, USA

My cousin, Danny Dellinger, 1982, New York, New York, USA

My cousin, Larry Kells, 1982,  Palo Alto, California, USA

And now men can go any way they want as shown by my son in law, John Weber

John Weber, 2015, Beaverton, Oregon, USA