Chin curtain

Abraham Lincoln wearing a chin curtain beard.

The chin curtain beard (also called a Donegal or Lincoln) is a particular style of facial hair that grows along the jaw line and covers the chin completely. This is not to be confused with the chinstrap beard—a similar style of beard that also grows along the jaw line but does not fully cover the chin. In addition, many chin curtain beards do not extend that far below the jawline, if at all, whereas all chinstrap beards generally do.

This style of facial hair was made famous by individuals such as Abraham Lincoln.

In Spain, it could be largely associated with 1970s progres and other cultural icons, such as writer Álvaro Pombo.

In the United States, the beard style remains common among married Amish men. Male members of the sect generally grow a beard after baptism, but shave the mustache off as it used to be associated with military service.

An Amish man with a chin curtain beard.

Famous or notable examples

• Peter Cooper, an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and candidate for President of the United States.
• Freeway
• Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine, and a former editor/publisher of the Whole Earth Catalog
• Wayne Static, Lead Singer for Industrial Metal band Static-X
• C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General of the United States.
• Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
• Alexander Mackenzie, PC (January 28, 1822 – April 17, 1892), a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.
• Court McGee, mixed martial artist
• Young Herman Melville, the future author of Moby Dick, in a painting, also has a Chin Curtain.
• Moondyne Joe, Australian bushranger.
• Mutabaruka, Rastafarian dub poet.
• Brigham Young, who led the Mormon pioneers to the Utah Territory.
• Harry Knowles, American Movie critic.
• Shane Koyczan, Canadian poet and writer.
• James J. Andrews, American spy.
• Peter Lalor, Australian activist.

Fictional characters

• Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Daisuke Jigen, trigger man for Lupin III
• Zé Povinho, Portuguese everyman created in 1875 by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro.
• Sarutobi Asuma from Naruto.
• Ganondorf from The Legend of Zelda
• Avatar Aang from The Last Airbender, as seen in The Legend of Korra
• The Disney animated series Gargoyles had a number of chin-curtained characters, notably Hudson, the oldest of the main gargoyles; the series' depiction of Macbeth from medieval Scotland - the basis of the eponymous figure of Shakespeare's play and still alive in the 20th and 21st centuries; and the Colm Meaney-voiced father of Irishman Rory Dugan in the episode The Hound of Ulster all sported them.