About this collection
You’re never far away from facial hair, or ‘whiskers’, in the archive collection! Our photographs reveal that staff have followed many trends through the decades. You may be lucky to spot a ‘chin strap’ beard in some of our earliest images. As the nineteenth century progressed, it was all about impressive sideburns known as ‘dundrearies’, and bushy ‘mutton chops’ that took over the cheeks. Moustaches became all the rage between the 1880s and 1920s. We saw clean-shaven faces take the top spot for many years in the mid-twentieth century, particularly among respectable bankers. This gave way to a some fine moustaches once again in the 1980s. The renaissance has continued with a trend for full beards amongst some colleagues in recent times. How familiar are you with whiskers through time? See if you can date the images by the facial hair on show in this snapshot, before you check the details.
