Antique Meerschaum Depicting an Explorer Type: Who Might this Depict?

[jonasclark]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

I'm looking at purchasing this pipe, a lovely antique with amber stem intact, a pre-color job mottled from heavy smoking. Case not pictured. As can be seen, it shows a man having a rather distinctive appearance! He's wearing a pith helmet, so maybe an explorer? Egyptologist? Safari guide or "white hunter"? I'm not sure. He trims his beard in an interesting manner, leaving his chin uncovered and having the beard grow under it. This has to be some specific style, maybe it has a name and/or was popular with a certain ethnicity, say, Scottish? To pin him down even more, he bears a feature I think is surely a clear identifier if anyone recognizes him: he has large, round earrings!

Does anybody here have any ideas?

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm looking at purchasing this pipe, a lovely antique with amber stem intact, a pre-color job mottled from heavy smoking. Case not pictured. As can be seen, it shows a man having a rather distinctive appearance! He's wearing a pith helmet, so maybe an explorer? Egyptologist? Safari guide or "white hunter"? I'm not sure. He trims his beard in an interesting manner, leaving his chin uncovered and having the beard grow under it. This has to be some specific style, maybe it has a name and/or was popular with a certain ethnicity, say, Scottish? To pin him down even more, he bears a feature I think is surely a clear identifier if anyone recognizes him: he has large, round earrings!

Does anybody here have any ideas?

Dr. Livingstone I presume?

 

[olkofri]

Henry Morton Stanley?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Henry Morton Stanley?

I've never seen him with a beard. ?

 

[jonasclark]

It is, unfortunately, neither of them. Neither had a beard, nor earrings.

 

[craig61a]

Halloween Costume Guy...

British Pith Helmet (halloweencostumes.com)

 

[jonasclark]

I saw that at the beginning of my search!

 

[rajangan]

Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza? ​

​

 

[jonasclark]

Perhaps? His beard seems to cover his chin, and he has no earrings.

 

[jonasclark]

Reading up, I wish it was him. I'm about to purchase a cheroot holder which has the same sort of cloth headdress he wears, so maybe that one could be him? Its case says it was made by the Fischers of NY, who were top-notch carvers.

I suppose I should mention my source, in case anyone else wants to contact him and buy antique pipes, meerschaum or otherwise. It's Ben Rapaport, and I've found him to be informative and fair. I've bought a German Regimental/Reservist "gestecktpfeife" from him, and a meerschaum of Napoleon. Already purchased is the Fischers' bedouin cheroot holder, and soon to be bought (as soon as I have the funds, in a few months) are the explorer pipe and a cheroot holder with an eagle sitting astride. He's sent me photos of many beautiful pipes for sale.

 

[rajangan]

It's possible that the figure is clean shaven and that what we think is a beard and earring is a chin strap and buckle.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It may be no one at all, just the carver showing off.?‍

 

[jonasclark]

Could those "earrings" be part of the strap, too? I'm not finding many photos of people wearing one with the strap in place. And yes, you're right, chasingembers. "The Explorer" was not a common 'type' (common ones included The School Ma'am or Gibson Girl, the Arab or Bedouin, the Sailor, etc.) but it's possible.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

"The Explorer" was not a common 'type' (common ones included The School Ma'am or Gibson Girl, the Arab or Bedouin, the Sailor, etc.) but it's possible.

My thoughts, too. But I don’t have a better guess other than it’s just a generic 19th century European explorer. I’m keen to see if anyone nails it down to an individual. De Brazza is an interesting proposal.

 

[Chasing Embers]

But I don’t have a better guess other than it’s just a generic 19th century European explorer.

They would have been the rock stars of the era so would it be out of the realm of possibility, that out of a flight of fancy, the carver depicted himself as a pith helmeted hero?

 

[LongHairDontCare]

Edouard Foa?

 

[LongHairDontCare]

Edouard Foa?

Never mind, no earrings

 

[Ahi Ka]

Definitely someone of European decent, that is some serious sun burn he has got going on

 

[olkofri]

Definitely someone of European decent, that is some serious sun burn he has got going on

Yeah, he looks decent.

 

[jonasclark]

As noted, I'm buying a cheroot holder which might be de Brazza. I'll have to look. Yes, it's possible the carver carved himself, but I'm still hoping he'll be identifiable.

Can anyone tell me about the Black Frigate I see in several sigs? Sounds vaguely like an SCA thing. Friends of mine know SCA pirates.