Hitler's moustache

Hitler was advised to lose his trademark moustache by Dr Sedgwick, his press secretary, in 1923. Hitler’s steadfast response was that “If it is not the fashion now, it will be later because I wear it!”

Much discrepancy has arisen over the true origin of Hitler’s infamous moustache. His love of Charlie Chaplin is often cited as the chief inspiration. His contemporary Moritz Frey, however, claimed it derived from a more practical consideration, harking back to his time as a soldier during the Great War – an order from a superior officer to trim his whiskers to accommodate the regulation gas mask.

Nevertheless, the short, stubby style was fairly popular in the region of Austria where Hitler grew up. Others suggest it acted predominantly as a visual aide, in creating the instantly-recognisable larger than life persona; the ‘toothbrush’ has certainly become synonymous with oppression and fascism, even over half a century later.