Famous Mustaches in History
Since antiquity, the wearing of mustaches, like the wearing of beards, has reflected a wide range of customs, religious beliefs, and personal tastes. It was usual in the past to make no distinction between a mustache and other types of facial hair, such as a beard or whiskers, as these were usually worn together. In some locations and times, mustaches have been forbidden, often because they were considered eccentric or even possibly upsetting to the social order. Yet, whenever mustaches have been sanctioned in fashionable circles, they have taken on a variety of forms. This list features a range of mustaches on eight famous and infamous personalities from history, and each mustache has been classified according to the style guide presented by the American Mustache Institute. Who wore the mustache best?
Ambrose Burnside
American Civil War general Ambrose Burnside is known as the originator of side whiskers, which were later called âsideburns,â a name inspired by his surname. In Burnsideâs case, he styled his facial hair to extend across each cheek. The ends of his mustache connected to the start of his hairline near each ear.
Clark Gable
Throughout his nearly 30-year career in film, Clark Gable starred in some of Hollywoodâs most memorable productions, including Mutiny on the Bounty and Gone with the Wind. Gable wore one of the most famous mustaches in Hollywood during the mid-20th century. His mustache could go in either the âpainterâs brushâ or the âlampshadeâ style category.
Adolf Hitler
Admit itâyou knew he would make this list. Hitlerâs principal role in starting World War II and his state-sponsored killing of millions of Jews made him one of the most hated people in world history. The fascist dictator was also known for his instantly recognizable grooming style. So unmistakable was his âtoothbrushâ mustache, a type characterized by thick whiskers that span the width of the nose, that it is often called the âHitler mustache.â After World War II, men across the world abandoned the toothbrush mustache because of its instant association with Hitler. Nowadays, this mustache style is seldom seen.
William Howard Taft
U.S. President William Howard Taft wore the classic âhandlebarâ mustache. Although similar in basic design to Salvador DalĂâs mustache (stay tuned), Taftâs was larger and bushier and far less eccentric, with only a slight upward curl.
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, known for his opera Pagliacci, sported a large luxurious handlebar mustache, which he trained to grow upward. In the portrait, it appears to span part of his cheeks in addition to his upper lip, and thus it could also be classified as an âimperialâ mustache, using the American Mustache Instituteâs guide.
Groucho Marx
As far as mustaches go, Groucho Marxâs was likely one of the most famous on the planet. His distinctive wide mustache might have fallen into the American Mustache Instituteâs âwalrusâ or âchevronâ categories, but, so far, it has defied classification. It was a large part of the entertainerâs signature style, along with his glasses, eyebrows, and noseâall of which were later popularized in a novelty toy that still appears in stores today. The classic "Groucho mustache," which Groucho sported in the Marx Brothers films, was made with greasepaint; however, he later grew a real mustache for his TV quiz show You Bet Your Life.
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Sir Charles James Napier
Charles Napier was best known for his exploits in India prior to and during British rule there. Going by Napierâs portrait, he had a bushy âEnglishâ mustache, a type in which long whiskers are pulled right and left under the nose.
Salvador DalĂ
Itâs very probable that Salvador DalĂ was known as much for his unusual waxed mustache as for his Surrealist paintings. His art often depicts a dreamworld in which commonplace objects are juxtaposed, deformed, or otherwise metamorphosed in a bizarre and irrational fashion. His trademark waxed mustache, which the American Mustache Institute places in a category called âDalĂ,â is narrow, with long pointed ends that train steeply upward. DalĂâs corpse was exhumed in 2017, some 28 years after his death, so that forensics experts could collect DNA as part of a paternity suit. They discovered that his mustache was still intact.