Kmflett's Blog

Beard Liberation Front

10th April

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Marx beard shaving photographs mystery resolved

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said it believes it has resolved the long running mystery about why Karl Marx had his beard shaved off while in Algiers in April 1882 and whether a photograph of him without the beard actually exists.

While there is no doubt that Marx did visit an Algerian barber to have his beard shaved and hair trimmed the reason for this has remained obscure.

While in letters to Engels from Algiers in April 1882 Marx describes the weather as very changeable with rain and high winds he notes in a letter to Engels on Friday 28^th April 1882:

‘Apropos; because of the sun I have done away with my prophet’s beard and my crowning glory (but in deference to my daughters) had myself photographed before offering up my hair on the altar of an Algerian barber. I shall receive the photographs next Sunday (30^th April). Specimina will be sent to you from Marseilles.

The photograph was taken by E Dutretre and is in the archive of the International Institute of Social History. It is thought to be the last one to be taken of Marx while alive.

Another purporting to show Marx clean shaven is a fake, probably a photomontage of what he might have looked like.

Intriguingly Marx wrote to Laura Lafargue from Monte Carlo on 6^th May 1882 stating ‘I enclose one photo for you another for Fred; no art can make the man look worse

This suggests that a photo of the clean shaven Marx may exist but is not extant. From the 1860s small passport sized photographs were frequently taken as mementoes and Marx and Engels were probably no different in doing so. However very few photos are known to survive although it is entirely possible that are some in private collections or archives that have not come to the attention of researchers

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, given the hot weather currently, the key point is now clear. Marx thought heat was a reasonable excuse to shave the beard even if the result didn’t look great.