Louis Coulon (beard)
Louis Coulon (born February 26 or March 18, 1826 in Vandenesse , † November 2, 1916 in Montluçon ) was an iron caster in the works of Saint-Jacques in Montluçon. Portraits of him were a popular postcard motif because of his beard .
Life and work
It is said that he already had a strong beard growth as an adolescent. From the age of 12 he shaved regularly, which became too annoying for him at around 15 years old. Around 1880, various European newspapers became aware of Coulon and various depictions of him were distributed throughout Europe in the decades to come. Coulons of cats or birds lingered in his then 2.2 m long beard, with whom he was subsequently often depicted. By the time he died, his beard should have grown another meter.
Like his father François, Louis also worked as an iron caster in the newly established iron foundry of the Châtillon-Commentry and Neuves-Maisons company , where he was temporarily a union official.
He made molds for the ironworks and is said to have lived modestly. It is alleged by him (without any further source) that a Lord William should have offered him 10,000 francs (which corresponds to the modern purchasing power of around 45,000 €) if he went on a journey with him.
reception
From 1889 the regional and national press reported on this iconographic phenomenon. On January 10, 1889, Le Journal des débats politiques et littéraires read:
«Coulon mesure 1 m 59; quand il marche il est obligé de soutenir sa barbe à la main; il la laisse descendre jusqu'aux pieds, relève l'extrémité sur son bras droit plié et la barbe retombe de l'autre côté plus bas que le genou; quand il s'entoure le cou avec, on dirait l'un de ces grands boas si en vogue en ce moment. On se dira que sa barbe devait bien le gêner dans son travail. Corn Louis Coulon avait trouvé le moyen. Il enroulait sa barbe en une sorte de matelas, placé sur sa poitrine, sous sa chemise, et de la sorte n'en était pas encombré dans son travail. »
“Coulon is 1.59 m tall; when he goes he has to support his beard with his hand; he lets it slide down to his feet, lifts the end of his bent right arm and the beard falls on the other side below the knee; when he wraps it around his neck it looks like one of those big boas that are so fashionable right now. You'd think that his beard must have hindered his work. But Louis Coulon had found a way. He rolled up his beard into a kind of mattress, put it on his chest under his shirt, and was not hindered in his work. "
On August 1, 1905, Le Petit Journal wrote that he, the “Dean of Metallurgists”, had been working at the plant for 67 years. His beard is now three and a half meters long and his mustache one and a half meters wide. In the war he is said to have fought for national defense until his death. On November 5, 1916, the Journal des débats politiques et littéraires reported on his death. It was mentioned that his beard had been admired by two emperors, in 1864 in Montluçon by Napoleon III. and in 1891 in Vichy by Peter II , Emperor of Brazil.
Even 20 years after his death, he was honored on May 28, 1938 at the annual congress of the Société des Barbus ( German : Society of Beard Bearers ) in Tokyo, as Le Monde Illustré reported.
literature
- Jan Bondeson : The Lion Boy and Other Medical Curiosities. Amberley Publishing, 2018.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Postcard
- ↑ a b c d e Le Père Coulon
- ↑ https://designyoutrust.com/2019/11/amazing-portraits-of-louis-coulon-and-his-11-foot-beard-as-a-nest-for-his-cats/
- ↑ https://www.quora.com/How-much-money-was-150-francs-worth-in-1900
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Coulon, Louis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French beard |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 26, 1826 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Vandenesse |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 2, 1916 |
| Place of death | Montluçon |