By the time the Crimean War came to an end in 1856, the face of British men had changed irrevocably. As the regiments of heavily bearded men began to be sent home, the beard became recognised as the sign of a hero. Before the War, beards had tended to signify that the wearer was overtly religious, or a working -class labourer, or a tramp or a lunatic. After the War, beards were considered the height masculinity. Remarkably rabidly, British men laid down their razors and abandoned their barbers in favour of growing facial hair as busy and manly as that on the faces of returned soldiers.
Moustaches, Whiskers & Beards by Lucinda Hawksley, National Portrait Gallery
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