bushnstache: Beard

Les handed him a card on the sidewalk. “Got another project for you at my place… just a few doors down.”

Mitch showed up after work, boots still dusty—then realized it wasn’t that kind of job.

He looked Les over, then at himself in the mirror.

“…What the hell,” he said. “What’s the pay?”

1. Unknown Model (probably not vintage, but great cover for today's theme)

The beard feels like a later arrival in this world. While mustaches and body hair show up throughout the mid-century, the full beard doesn’t really take hold until the ’70s—Vietnam, the counterculture, a shift in what masculinity could look like. It’s there in a few earlier images, but it really comes into its own in the Colt and Old Reliable years.

2. Forest Buehl (in sparkles)

3. Paul Baressi (feeling himself)

4. Richard Locke (tight squeeze - beautiful blue eyes here)

Today, it’s everywhere again. Walk into an Eagle bar and you’ll see it—beard, harness, maybe a shaved head to match. It’s become its own uniform, with barbers shaping it and oils keeping it just right.

5. Al Parker (pink and yellow bedding)

6. Mark Wolf (window nook)

7. Dick Trask (speedo)

I’ve worn one for years now, letting it go gray on its own to match the rest of me. My dad did the same, so I can’t help but see it as a certain kind of man—outdoors, a little rugged. And while I get the appeal of keeping it dark, there’s something about letting it age that feels… honest.

8. Judd Cooper (tube socks and a smile)