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Ambrose Burnside (1824–1881) -

We have Ambrose Burnside to thank for sideburns. A Civil War general and United States Senator for Rhode Island, he was noted for his unusual facial hair, joining strips of it in front of his ears to his mustache but with the chin clean shaven.

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Burnside to sideburn -

The word burnsides was coined to describe this style, derived from the general's last name. The syllables were later reversed to give sideburns. Pictured is Ambrose Burnside and his staff while he commanded the 1st Rhode Island Infantry Regiment in 1861. Note the welcome home sign set above the group.

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Sideburns in antiquity -

This 3rd century BCE statue of Heracles, the son of Zeus and Alcmene and a divine hero in Greek mythology, depicts a beardless young man with sideburns.

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Roman era -

This plaster mask of a man with short curly hair and long sideburns dates back to the Roman period, around the 1st century CE, and is probably Egyptian in origin.

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Mathabarsingh Thapa (1798–1845) -

Mathabarsingh Thapa, the Prime Minister of Nepal and Commander-In-Chief of the Nepalese Army, grew his sideburns in the style worn by Hindu Kshatriya military commanders in the Indian subcontinent. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

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The "mutton chop" -

While beards were all the craze in early Victorian Britain, a set of thick flowing sideburns were equally seen as the mark of a man. In fact, the term "mutton chops" entered the vocabulary around this time, describing whiskers that were thin at the top and bulged at the bottom and shaved to resemble a chop of meat. Pictured is the eminent Victorian English biologist and anthropologist Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895).

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"Ornamental appendages to the human face" -

In the 1800s, sideburns were sometimes referred to by writers as "ornamental appendages to the human face." Indeed, they were worn with great pride and contributed to the "masculineness" of manhood. Sideburned celebrities of the age included Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859), considered one of the most ingenious figures in engineering history.

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Cultured and educated persona -

Sideburns were deemed a desirable characteristic of the male face. Cultivating a full set of whiskers not only represented masculinity, it reinforced a cultured and educated persona. Pictured in his whiskered glory is Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906).

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South America -

In the 18th and 19th centuries, sideburns were very much in vogue with criollos, those born in Latin America but of solely or mostly Spanish descent. Many of the independence heroes of South America, including Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) and José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (1778–1850), often wore long sideburns, neatly trimmed to a point.

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Female sideburns? -

In 1808 the popular fashion journal Le Belle Epoque reported a growing trend of ladies training their lovelocks down the side of their faces "in imitation of whiskers." Needless to say, the idea didn’t catch on. But some women today are experimenting with the style, including well-known American tattoo artist Kat von D (pictured).

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No to whiskers -

Facial hair was seen as aesthetically and socially pleasing. But by the end of the first quarter of the 19th century, the fashion for side-whiskers had abated. By the beginning of 20th century, whiskers were a non-no. During the First World War, in order to secure a seal on a gas mask, for example, men had to be clean shaven, though a mustache was still acceptable.

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Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) -

While at Harvard, Theodore Roosevelt, later the 26th President of the United States, cultivated sideburns, apparently much to the amusement of his fellow classmates. Later, Theodore’s distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also grew his whiskers, during a yachting cruise in 1936. His experiment provoked laughter from wife Eleanor. At the time, FDR was the nation’s 32nd President.

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Back in fashion? -

The late 1940s witnessed a tentative comeback for the sideburn. Thespians like Orson Welles (1915–1985) were rather taken by the look.

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'The Wild One' (1953) -

In 1953, Marlon Brando complimented his brooding good looks with a mean set of sideburns in the movie 'The Wild One' (1953).

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Elvis Presley (1935–1977) -

A couple of years later, Elvis Presley shocked decent society not only by gyrating his hips suggestively while singing, but by having long hair and sideburns too. In fact, Presley would become the celebrity advocate of the slick, black sideburn pose.

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1960s counterculture -

If the 1950s witnessed the sideburn comeback, then the following decade nurtured it. The counterculture of the 1960s saw sideburns once again in fashion. Pictured is Beatle Ringo Starr, around 1966.

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The Beatles -

John Lennon (1940–1980) grew a pair of "mutton chops" in 1968, as clearly seen in this image of Lennon, George Harrison (1943–2001), and Paul McCartney at Abbey Road in London.

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The 1970s -

As the the 1960s drew to a close and the '70s dawned, the sideburn reached its fashion zenith. Suddenly trimmed and sculptured whiskers were de rigueur. And once again, Elvis was setting the example.

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Sideburns are top of the pops -

Welsh singer Tom Jones decided to outdo Presley in wide collars and long "sidies."

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Influence on African-American fashion -

Early 1970s African-American hair fashion was characterized by the afro style. Guys adopting this look often grew their sideburns, a fashion statement that  became familiar to cinema audiences in films like 'Shaft' (1971), starring Richard Roundtree.

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George Best (1946–2005) -

Seventies fashion screamed sideburn. Celebrity soccer stars of the era scored on and off the pitch with their chunky mutton chops. Leading the way was Northern Ireland player George Best (1946–2005), who spent most of his club career at Manchester United.  

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Clint Eastwood -

Movies made in Hollywood in the early 1970s often featured box-office stars with long flowing hair draped over generous sideburns. Here's Clint Eastwood at arguably his most fashionable in 'Play Misty for Me' (1971). 

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Robert Redford -

Heartthrob Robert Redford was another Hollywood superstar who just oozed 1970s sideburn sex appeal.

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Warren Beatty -

Up there with Eastwood and Redford, Warren Beatty also let his hair grow, grooming it backwards over ear-hugging sideburns.

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Neil Young -

One of music's die-hard sideburn aficionados in the 1970s was Neil Young, who competed with Elvis for the title of mutton chop champion.

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British glam rock -

In England meanwhile, glam rock band Slade were enjoying enormous success. Their front man and rhythm guitarist, Noddy Holder, was known for his unique and powerful voice, and a set of Victorian-style sideburns that became his trademark.

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Lemmy (1945–2015) -

Another English musician, Ian Kilmister (1945–2015), better known to millions of metal heads as Lemmy, achieved worldwide fame as the founder of Motörhead. He too favored long and unkempt sideburns, a look he nurtured all his riotous life.

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Liam Gallagher -

Sideburns went out of fashion in the late 1970s. The style lay dormant for 15 years or so before a bloke named Liam Gallagher and a band called Oasis threw it right back in everybody's faces. The message was clear: retro was cool. 

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Lenny Kravitz -

In the US, artists like Lenny Kravitz hit the scene in the early 1990s with a mellow '60s sound and a dreamy flower child look. He dropped words like "dig" and "vibe" and grew Elvis sideburns.

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Benedict Cumberbatch -

Today the sideburn has come full circle. Fashion in the 21st century is almost impossible to pigeonhole, and if celebrities like Benedict Cumberbatch can wear them, anyone can.

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Elijah Wood -

Here's Elijah Wood during the 2005 Toronto Film Festival with sideburns creeping down both sides of his face.

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Hugh Jackman -

And occasionally, life imitates art with Hugh Jackman sporting a full set of dangerous-looking Wolverine sideburns as he poses with his Emmy in Los Angeles in 2005.

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Lewis Hamilton -

And getting in gear is race ace Lewis Hamilton, who for several years has cultivated a well-groomed persona that includes a thin sideburn strap that meets a thatch of designer stubble.

Sources: (Fashion Encyclopedia) (BBC) (Dr Alun Withey) 

See also: Best of celebrity bad hair days

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