Page 27 - July1998

July 1998 N,{TIONAI B{J1f1l0N BUn n ETIN 169

A tax was also imposed on Englishmen
who refused to shave, but then Henry VIII
restored the fashion by wearing a beard himself.
And so beards gained and lost favor
Charles I (notice the neatly
throughout the ages. By the middle 13th
trimmed Van Dyke beard)
century and throueh the 14th
century, most men wore full curled beards.
During the age ofElizabeth I and Shakespeare, all
men of distinction wore beards, but with the
ascension ofAnne to the throne, no one ofhonor
wore any kind of facial hair. Then when George
lII, the King of England during the American
Revolution, became mentally ill and was
imprisoned, his beard was allowed to grow. This, to
Neptune or Poseidon many of his followers was considered the most
insulting punishment to which he was subjected!
Shavins the beard offhas not been a ouestion ofnot havins arazor -
these have existed since the Egyptian era - but to
wear a beard or not to wear a beard has been
simply a question of style.
Have you ever noticed how many of the
identified men on our buttons have beards?
You will probably be surprised at how many
there are. Though only a few are shown with this
arlicle, there are many more to be found. Putting
together a tray of men with beards would be a double
William Tell
specialization first to men, and then to men with
-
-
beards. Why not try it it can be great fun!
-MWS