On 30 March, 1840, the long and terrible suffering of a truly magnificent man finally ended, and the world lost the best example of dandyism it has seen before or since. While I normally love to celebrate the birth of George Bryan (Beau) Brummell with links, facts, and a sense of excitement, there is a sort of quiet acceptance on his death anniversary that some things must, and should, end. The last year and a half of his life was torture. But the life, itself, was one filled with so many highs and lows, from being at the very top of society and friends with the Prince Regent to at the very bottom and penniless in an assylum, from dictating fashions and the whims of the upper eschilons of the bon ton to having only one pair of trousers, that it could very well be a tragedy written for the stage. Yet, in his sixty-one years, Brummell single-handedly changed the face of male fashion forever, and bent the will of his superiors to his own, thereby achieving a goal that most in his own class, let alone below it, could only dream of. And his dreams, when they did come in fits of madness, were not generally of regrets and things that he wished he could have done and seen, but of ones that he actually experienced. From him, we learn not only about the necessity of cleanliness and dressing well, but also about enjoying all that life has to offer, persuing one's passions, and that one not need change the world through grand deeds or conventional accomplishments. Sometimes, just being oneself and following one's own path to reach one's dreams is enough. And really, what do we take with us but our memories? What do we leave behind but the memories of those who knew us, and at times, glimpses into our lives and world via letters, diaries, memoirs, and biographies, if we are lucky enough to have them written about us? The world of Brummell may be long gone, but these lessons, this great achievement of immortality, shall remain with us. And, for those of us who love dandyism, we will have a great model to learn from, and in some cases, to base our own desires for a partner upon. Who better to represent the ultimate ideal than the man who embodied it?
To learn more about The Beau, go to my link on dandyism. There, you will find an entire section on him, with everything from quick articles to books.
