William Sidney Mount, full length portrait, facing left, wearing top hat and holding a coat...

Daguerreotype Collection (Library of Congress) Half Plate Daguerreotype, 1850's

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Barcelona Beards of 1900

If there was any doubt as to the preternatural talent of the young Picasso, these charming portraits of the artist's Barcelona bar mates show a keen eye and a sharp, easy wit. At eighteen, Pablo captures each subject's unique character.

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Manhandlers

It is rare to find a bearded wrestler or strongman. Mustaches are more the norm. Here are a few vintage photographs from the blogmaster's extensive Physical Culture collection.

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Marion Peck paints a bearded bloke.

“Jeremiah”
2010
8" x 6" image
15" x 12" framed
oil w/ encaustic on panel

Our friend Marion Peck has mounted another stellar solo show at Sloan Fine Art in NYC. A Victorian sensibility dominates (including black velvet walls!) with oddball portraits, a larger narrative painting and a haunting sculptural installation. http://www.sloanfineart.com/

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'Floor Cleaner', Photographed by Alfred Lorens of St Petersburg.

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Tricky Pics

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August Macke - Portrait of the author E A Greeven (1911) - Bonn, Kunstmuseum

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Degas' Dapper Dandies

Unlike the younger generation of Impressionist artists who ventured outdoors with the newly invented tube oil paint to capture the natural world, Edgar Degas focused almost exclusively on contemporary figures  found indoors. While most famous for his depictions of ballerinas, washerwomen and prostitutes, Degas' sharp powers of observation were well suited to capturing the confident swagger of male sophisticates in Paris.

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Hairstyle vs. Beard - Which will win?

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Francesco Paolo Michetti, 1851-1929

Michetti was amongst a small group of artists who brought a luminous light and progressive painterly approach to his Neopolitan paintings. After a lukewarm reception to his work during 1900's World Exposition, he gave up his studio and became a recluse. These self portraits have a bravura that belies any insecurities Michetti might have had.

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Ultimate Fighters!

Wrestlers (Brothers Marseille), 1870 by Leon Cremiere, Paris

"The Wrestlers, 1853" by Gustave Courbet

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Domenico Morelli (1823–1901)

With a sensual eye, and dramatic inclination, Neapolitan painter Domenico Morelli found success depicting biblical, oriental, and contemporary subjects.

Mucksnipe!

Mucksnipe!: "Aaron Smith - Fine Art Painter"

The Hairy Hussar

A form of light cavalry originating in medieval Hungary, the Hussar have appeared in various forms throughout the centuries in Central and Eastern Europe as well as Scandinavia. Always dashing, sometimes flamboyant, the look of the Hussar is the most elegant of military uniforms.

Giacomo Balla, 1871-1958.

Italian futurist painter Balla conveys a piercing exploration of man as matter. His self portrait seems both intimate and metaphysical.

Prince Albert Edward Prince of Wales later King Edward VII

With the death if his mother Queen Victoria in 1901, Edward VII would usher in the Edwardian Era. Even as a Prince, Edward's bearish physique, owl eyes and aquiline nose seemed to herald his destiny as King.

A Fine Profile

Painter Robert Gordon Hardie by William Turner Dannat

Emile Friant (1863-1932

The french painter Emile Friant (seen looking up from his easel) abandoned the academic style and atelier methods of his precocious youth, moved to Nancy, and began painting scenes of rural life by daylight. With a luminous touch and astounding attention to detail, Friant documented his artistic circle.