Comments on: The Best Beards in Mormon History: Results Show

By: 2010 AML Awards | Dawning of a Brighter Day

2010 AML Awards | Dawning of a Brighter Day — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:54:21 +0000

[...] to Ardis Parshall, for her blog “Best Beards” on her website [...]

By: Parley P. Pratt

Parley P. Pratt — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:35:22 +0000

Some of us felt that you didn’t need a whole beard to look manly. A lush set of sideburns can complement a square jaw and leave a very masculine impression.

By: CurtA

CurtA — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:05:07 +0000

This has been much fun. The posts about beard/no beard customs intrigued me. I went to my Utah War/Civil War picture gallery and did a visual survey. Of 170 photos of officers and politicians on my hard drive, only two of the officers were unadorned. Most had both beard and mustache, but about one in seven had just the cookie-duster. The most prominent figure with just a mustache was General Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of the Utah Expedition. The most prominent clean-shaven officer was Major Edward R.S. Canby who commanded Fort Bridger during the Utah War. None of the beards would outdo that of Orson Pratt, but Captain John C. Robinson of the 5th Infantry at Camp Floyd would have been a contender. You can see his larger-than-life statue at Getttysburg and read his Medal of Honor citation in the library. Oddly, all the prominent politicians including the new governer, Alfred Cumming; John B. Floyd, Secretary of War for whom Camp Floyd was/is named; and Pres. James Buchanan, instigator of the Utah War, were all clean-shaven. Stephen A. Douglas, for whom Camp/Fort Douglas was named, was also bare-faced. I could not find clear evidence of Brigham Young’s conversion to bearddom.

By: BHodges

BHodges — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:21:34 +0000

I’m sorry I couldn’t be reached for comment earlier. I would like to thank all my supporters out there and to concede my preliminary loss to Porter Rockwell, although he failed to take best in show. Conceding is easier since I wound up winning the “Special Election” Best-in-Show award anyway.

For the voter who thought KBarney should have been included, I submit a few more beard pictures for your consideration.

Here’s me with a guy pretending to be Brigham Young:
http://tinyurl.com/2g2xd7h

Here’s me with my awesome spouse:
http://tinyurl.com/2c7bkne

Here’s me on top of a giant mountain:
http://tinyurl.com/28u7sb3

Thank you all, I congratulate the winner.

By: Morgan D

Morgan D — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:38:30 +0000

I’m wondering if you will add the “rent is too damn high” category.

By: Left Field

Left Field — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 01:08:56 +0000

My recent foray into facial hair (kind of a George Albert Smith) is partly the result of a Coumadin prescription. Perhaps that’s the same thing that prompted Brother Orson to start his.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:42:10 +0000

Maybe the coming and going and return of beards is nothing more than one generation exercising its prerogative to be different from the preceding generation. I know another man who is also in the preliminary stages of a facial hair study — maybe I can pit him and BHodges against each other so that they race to finish in order to preserve their research priority! In any case, I look forward to hearing what either or both turn up.

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:49:39 +0000

I heard somewhere that the rise of the clean-shaven look had it’s roots in the clean-shaven soldiers coming home from WWI (they had to shave to ensure their gas masks fit.)

Then LDS–or Ernest Wilkinson–turned it into a “hedge around the law” in the 1960s to avoid the very appearance of hippiness. Or so I’ve been told.

I’m hoping the Great Bearded Blogger of the 21st century reports his research somewhere I can become aware of it!

By: BHodges

BHodges — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:39:59 +0000

What prompted the rise of beards? I know what prompted their elimination. But in Nauvoo it seems like most were clean shaven while sometime in Utah it became hip to have beards. What was the trigger?

Believe it or not I am in the preliminary stages of looking more specifically into this very question. I am in no hurry though.

By: kevinf

kevinf — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:14:01 +0000

So Pratt won by a whisker?

They all seemed to be so much more at ease with the gray or white in their beards than I would be now. This whole thing deserves a Niblet!