Culture
Haircuts on US Dollar Bills: Ranked
We see the haircuts on US dollar bills constantly. Yet which one is best, and why? A veteran hairdresser ranks the best, down to the rest.
When someone thinks about US paper currency, how many consider the haircuts on US dollar bills? Each and everyday, people handle US dollar bills but seldom give those adorned on them a second thought – despite money’s clear visibility. Hairdresser Philip A. DiCostanzo tackles the challenge of ranking the haircuts on US dollar bills.
Here are the ground rules regarding selection:
Starting with the best haircuts and working downward; we will look at the haircuts on the US $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and $100 dollar bills. Foremost by describing their respective style, identifying the strengths of their haircuts, their weaknesses, and how they could be improved. While there are larger US dollar bill denominations than these, most people have never handled them. Nor could many tell you who Salmon P. Chase was without reverting to Wikipedia.
Philip A. DiCostanzo’s hair dressing career spans 40 years, as owner and proprietor of FranklinPhilip Salon. Philip is a career student of the revolutionary cutting techniques pioneered by Vidal Sassoon, and has studied extensively under the direct tutelage of venerated hair stylist and Sassoon master, Christopher Pluck.
*Publication Note: This article is not a critique or discussion of these individual’s personal legacy, their character, beliefs, policy choices in power, or their current standing in the American political landscape. It is purely an evaluation of their haircut, based on how they appear on current US dollar bills.
So, who ranks best? Who are the rest?
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#1 Andrew Jackson – $20 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $20 US Dollar Bill:
The shape of Jackson’s hair cut relative to his body and bust line is phenomenal. In reality, his haircut looks as if Jackson could be a member of The Who, because it is a rock and roll haircut.
Strength:
The shape of his hair compliments his features. Jackson in his portrayal on the $20 US dollar bill presents a long face, sharp jaw, high hairline, angular nose, prominent brow, and deep set eyes. It’s not the kind of face that could wear a short haircut, he needs a longer cut as it best orchestrates his physical features.
When compared to other paintings of Andrew Jackson, his haircut on the $20 dollar bill is his most flattering.
Weakness:
Jackson for all he gets right in this image could be a little better groomed, specifically regarding his eye brows and sideburns.
How to Improve:
If I could improve anything on Jackson, I would trim down his slightly bushy eyebrows, as well as his sideburns. Undoubtedly it would be more flattering because it would present as better groomed, and less hirsute. He was the Commander-in-Chief, the most prominent of positions. These are important qualities as a southern politician in the early 19th Century, as they were a class that prided themselves on a most gentlemanly appearance.
#2 Alexander Hamilton – $10 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $10 US Dollar Bill:
It is important to remember, as many now know from the eponymous musical, Alexander Hamilton came from nothing. Hamilton clawed his way up from the bottom, finding his first big break after being discovered as an artillery officer by Washington while serving in the Continental Army – who was then appointed as Washington’s Aide-de-Camp.
In Hamilton’s meteoric rise to the top as one of the most farseeing US founding fathers, Hamilton was likely keen to shed all vestige of his pauper origin. More than anything, Hamilton was seeking to project a most aristocratic, pragmatic, suave and stately appearance. No doubt it was a look that he felt best suited the one who would become the first US Secretary of the Treasury.
Strength:
As mentioned, Hamilton is portraying a distinctly aristocratic persona, that comports best with the era he lived. The cravat and coat he is wearing in this portrayal compliment his sharp jaw, in addition to it being wardrobe accessories of the gentlemanly class in late 18th century America.
The off-the-face look compliments the overall structure of his face. In general, Hamilton is one of few men who can really wear their hair off the face. This is primarily due to his delicate but distinct bone structure. He appears very neat, tidy, with great attention to detail.
Weakness:
When it comes to Hamilton, there is very little in way of weakness as he appears on the $10 dollar bill. Yet he could have employed a little less affected curl.
How to Improve:
In addition to lessening the affected curling in this portrait, one might also consider taking a little off his sides. Though it is difficult to tell from this image if that’s possible, as Hamilton is likely wearing his hair back in a ponytail. The ponytail was of course a very trendy and fashionable arrangement for men’s hair in late 18th century America.
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#3 U.S. Grant – $50 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $50 US Dollar Bill:
The first impression of Grant on the $50 dollar bill is that it looks like a cheap haircut, however that should not come as a shock. At his core, Grant was first and foremost a solider born and raised in mid 19th Century Ohio.
Of course the hair requirements for military personnel of the American Civil-War era differ greatly from current regulations. Certainly no member of the armed services today could wear the length permitted in that era, nor have the beard common to Union and Confederate personnel of that time. Excluding those who are now accommodated in doing so consistent with their religious practices. All told, Grant is as close to a modern haircut as you see on US dollar bills.
Strength:
Grant’s haircut very much presents the look he wished to convey, which appears to be someone looking to combine both solider and statesman. It is clearly rugged, though there is every reason to believe it is the look he wanted. Grant also does a very good job on his mustache, as it is complimentary to his upper-lip line.
Weakness:
Everything about Grant’s haircut lacks detailing. He looks somewhat rugged, and therefore doesn’t seem to really give a damn about a haircut.
Also, Grant is a bit too shaggy for a US President, regardless of his personal origin. He could be trimmed a little better, but not necessarily closer in and around the chin. Additionally his hair appears to lack a more desirable balance. It is fair to say that Grant’s hair looks uncomfortable on his head.
How to Improve:
As mentioned, I would further trim his beard, eyebrows, and his sideburns could use a few adjustments.
Grant could use slightly more length on his sides, which would allow him to accentuate the piercing gaze in his eyes.
One should also reconsider the parting of Grant’s hair to create a little more balance. It would provide him a slightly softer look, which could have real political implications during his time in office.
In evaluating the politics of personal appearance, one must remember that most Americans of that time only ever saw their president in portrayals such as these. In cultivating a slightly softer look, it might help those who supported the Confederacy see Grant as something other than a victorious Yankee general.
As a president tasked with conducting post Civil-War reconstruction, Grant required all the help he could get.
#4 Ben Franklin – $100 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $100 US Dollar Bill:
In ranking haircuts on US dollar bills, Benjamin Franklin’s appearance on the US $100 dollar bill is a paradox. Franklin was a well known bon vivant, exceptionally well educated, a man of letters, political radical, genius, and a true renaissance man. Franklin is quoted as saying, “many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five.” Franklin was a man that possessed an insatiable zest for life.
Despite his reputation for loving the high life, being a natural fit in French Bourbon aristocratic society, and selective sensualist; Franklin’s haircut tells a very different story.
Based off his appearance on the US $100 dollar bill, Benjamin Franklin does not look like the kind of guy who wants to fuss with his hair at all. His hair has a distinct utilitarian quality, very much at odds with the lavish circles he walked amongst that worshiped couture.
Strength:
Franklin’s haircut presents him as a busy guy. He looks like someone that just wants to get his hair out of his face, so he can continue his work. It is likely the easiest way to wear his hair, without having to fuss with frequent trips to a barber.
Franklin’s haircut emphasizes the other side of his nature: someone who cherished pragmatism combined with an appetite for hard work. It is a professorial appearance projecting supreme intellect, but is otherwise unconcerned with his hair – so long as it doesn’t interfere with his work.
Weakness:
Ben Franklin was far too shaggy in a portrait that has since immortalized his appearance to generations of Americans. If Franklin had known this particular likeness would have been used in that way, he might have put a little more energy into his appearance.
How to Improve:
In Ben Franklin’s case, there is only so much that can be done – or he would have allowed a barber to do. On the whole, Franklin desperately needs to be trimmed on his ends. Doing so would make him look a little more well-kempt. In his ends being tightened up, it would at least help create a tidier appearance.
For what it is worth, you cannot help but admit that Franklin’s look was original.
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#5 Abraham Lincoln – $5 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $5 US Dollar Bill:
My first impression of Lincoln on the $5 dollar bill is that his hair looks like it was cut with a clamshell. As a man born in Kentucky and raised in Illinois, Lincoln was a US frontiersman of his time. Abraham Lincoln was considered the first western president, and his upbringing didn’t necessarily give that much thought for mens hairstyling.
Lincoln married into wealth when he tied the knot with Mary Todd Lincoln, so his personal affectations could not have been too far below par. Though Lincoln didn’t seem to value something like a haircut, and only as much as was politically necessary to get his job done as president. As Commander-in-Chief of the Union during the Civil-War, Lincoln had bigger fish to fry.
Strength:
Interestingly, Lincoln’s beard is a real asset as he’s portrayed on the $5 dollar bill. He gets points for originality, that seemingly suits his practical manner and sardonic sense of humor. He has a certain James Taylor look in his eyes.
Weakness:
Lincoln’s haircut does nothing to balance his long face, and gauntly overall appearance. His hair also overexposes the size of his ears, which does his appearance on the $5 dollar note no credit at all. Moreover he has far too much weight at the top of his oblong head.
How to improve:
Lincoln would have looked better with longer hair. He would have benefited from a cut similar to a young James Taylor from his “Sweet Baby James” era, incorporating a center part. He could also do something to cover up his large ears, namely by growing it longer on the sides. Additionally the top of his hair could improve by adjusting the layers to remove weight from the top. Or, alternately, Lincoln could have just grown out his hair entirely.
#6 Thomas Jefferson – $2 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $2 US Dollar Bill:
To dispel a popular myth, the US Mint still prints $2 bills. No, they’re not collectables, nor are they even particularly special. In fact, you can get that specific domination from just about any bank.
The portrait of Jefferson depicted on the $2 dollar bill appears to be based on a portrait originally painted by Rembrandt Peal prior to mid-May 1800, and just before his upcoming election to serve his first term as US President. Despite popular belief, there is evidence that Thomas Jefferson at least purchased and owned wigs between 1769 and 1773. It is unclear if Jefferson is wearing one in this depiction.
Given the look on Jefferson’s face and the likely portrayal used for the US $2 dollar bill, Jefferson seems like he had greater concerns on his mind than hair. That is hardly incomprehensible, as he was contemplating the prospect of having the weight of the world thrust upon him. Jefferson had his haircut quite short, and it looks as if he powdered it heavily.
Strength:
Unfortunately, Jefferson is lacking much in the way of positive qualities for his hair on the $2 dollar bill.
Weakness:
The shape of his haircut, relative to his facial bone structure is barely adequate. The balance of Jefferson’s haircut is off. The top is too weakened, and it calls too much attention to the top and side of his head. This is mostly because Jefferson’s sides are not in proportion in this picture, and he also seems to be experiencing thinning hair.
How to Improve:
Whatever course is taken with Jefferson’s hair, he must be tidied up. He might have considered somehow growing his hair long, or conversely, even possibly shorter. The aesthetic eye observes thinner hair at the top of his head, because the proportion of the sides are out-of-whack.
There is a certain wisdom to pulling in Jefferson’s sides a little bit. Though relative to its thickness on the side compared to the top, its hard to say if he should.
(Article Continues Below...)
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#7 George Washington – $1 US Dollar Bill
Style on the $1 US dollar Bill:
In George Washington’s portrayal on the US $1 dollar bill, he was not wearing a wig. Nor was Washington a Whig himself. His style was consistent with a wealthy, Virginian landowner favored by late 18th/early 19th century American men. As he was well known for interpersonally, Washington projects a definitive stoic look.
Strength:
Washington at least projected the very stoic look he desired. As a man, Washington was very particular about never disturbing that quality of himself. For better or worse, there is value in ones look appearing exactly as they wish.
Weakness:
His hair does nothing to compliment his features. It tends to accentuate his nose by making it appear larger. Washington has a mostly triangular shape to his hair, and it creates an umbrella effect on the sides.
How to improve:
This suggestion may accompany accusations of “hair-esy” by some, but it is possible a beard may have softened Washington’s less flattering features – if he could grow one. Growing a beard might have generated some balance on Washington’s face that is absent on his $1 dollar bill portrait.
Write to Philip A. DiCostanzo at padicostanzo@tgnreview.com