Beards Across Cultures

This page from Gazette du Bon Ton presents satirical wood engravings contrasting European and non-European facial hair styles. The text discusses the "Abyssinian beard" and Chinese grooming practices alongside European fashion. The paired illustrations—rendered in fine-line engraving—exaggerate features to comedic effect, reflecting a tradition of physiognomic caricature descended from 18th-century prints by Hogarth and Gillray. The format combines text and image to deliver social commentary, a lineage that would inform early comic strips and periodicals.