Life — January 16, 1896 — page 18: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes a "Western Senator" who stubbornly refuses to shave his beard, claiming that "a man's glory and strength is in his beard." The series of sketches depicts various scenarios where his facial hair causes practical problems—he appears to get it caught, tangled, or in the way during everyday activities and interactions. The satire likely targets late 19th-century Western politicians known for their distinctive facial hair and old-fashioned stubbornness about maintaining traditional masculine appearance, even when impractical. The joke mocks the notion that virility depends on whiskers, showing how this vanity creates comic complications. The exaggerated, rustic character type represents frontier politicians resistant to modernization.