I contacted professional dress historian Jayne Shrimpton to see if it was common/uncommon for men to wear an earring back in the 1840s/50s, and if it was gentlemanly to do so.

Her response was that it was not common for men to wear earrings in 1840s/50s. Probably a bit more common for Sailors/Laborers. She joked that maybe earrings were more acceptable in the Wild West back then and said the Dag is probably 1850s.

Thought this could help the debate.

J

Barry- Didn't you have an ambrotype with a player wearing an earring many moons ago in one of your auctions?

I did indeed. That's the first thing I thought of when Mark posted that. Perhaps it was a sign of virility, or a bohemian style of a sorts.

"Among sailors, a pierced earlobe was a symbol that the wearer had sailed around the world or had crossed the equator. In addition, it is commonly held[citation needed] that a gold earring was worn by sailors in payment for a proper burial in the event that they might drown at sea. Should their bodies have been washed up on shore, it was hoped that the earring would serve as payment for "a proper Christian burial". Regardless of this expression, the practice predates Christianity and can be traced back as far as ancient Greece where the gold paid the ferryman, Charon, to provide passage across the river Acheron to Hades."---------interesting information from Wikipedia

Do we know what brand of cigar was 'Subject G' smoking?

I've heard Doc Adams liked to roll his own... perhaps a sign of virility? :)

I contacted two dag experts and got basically the same answer - dags with men wearing earrings are very uncommon, and for what they have seen, they are associated with sailors.

Before this thread slips into the depths of Network54, I was just wondering if anyone on the board, other than Corey, really believes that Alexander Cartwright is in that six player dag.

I don't know
 

Some think it is, some think it isn't, some hope it is, but no one knows that it is.

David-That's not what I asked. I know some people are unsure and some think it is not Cartwright. I'd just like to know who thinks it is him.

I sure don't know. But, the retouched photo at the bottom of page 7 of the report is curious, as it looks to me to picture a sort of hybrid between photos C and A1, sharing characteristics of both. If the retouched photo is Cartwright, that lends support in my mind that photo C could be Cartwright as well.