Pictures From Nowhere : The Unclean Beard

You know the face, don't you? It is, of course, that well known Victorian poet and social anthropologist ... No, perhaps not, of course I recognise him now, it's that 19th century artist and geologist ..... Or perhaps it is a perfect likeness of that pioneer of domestic science and author of the seminal work "The Unclean Gene". In fact it could be any of them or all of them. There is something about Victorian gentlemen with big beards which meant that their thoughts strayed as far as their permed facial hair.

Whoever he was, he was a toff. Hills and Saunders was no end of the pier snapshot booth. They photographed the Queen (Victoria) and most of the members of her family. They photographed Eton scholars and Harrow masters, Cambridge Dons and Cheltenham ladies.

And what was he thinking whilst he sat there, waiting for the shutter to complete it's painfully slow sweep? Maybe pictures, maybe stones; maybe words, maybe bones. Or maybe he was just thinking about that annoying itch in his beard which was demanding a really good scratch.