Thursday 7th Movember: Joinville

Here we have a photograph of forty-eight members of L'École Normale de Gymnastique et d'Escrime de Joinville-le-Pont and only ONE of them doesn't have a moustache. Obviously in France in the early days of the twentieth century every month was Movember. Styles range from extravagant waxed affairs to the soon to be ubiquitous Hitler brush. One man's moustache is so blond you can barely see it but otherwise you can see these gymnasts making their individual statements, grooming themselves differently to stand out from the crowd...Click on the pictures for a closer view.

I have also collected about one hundred postcards from the same military gymnastic school in France showing the students and staff going through their exercises....but that's another story.