PRINT - Beard Man With Boobs

Meet Percival “Persephone” Grimthorpe, the toast of Pella, Iowa, and undisputed champion of the 1893 Midwestern Duality Pageant. Known equally for his meticulously groomed chin whiskers and his unexpected assets, Percival was a walking work of art—part riverboat gambler, part silver-screen siren.

Some said his look was the result of a dare involving a bottle of absinthe, a traveling corsetiere, and the phrase “Why not both?” Others insisted he was simply ahead of his time—an avant-garde blend of rugged frontier masculinity and glamour-poster femininity.

Percival used his unique presentation to promote the town’s burgeoning theater scene, appearing in everything from Greek tragedies to dairy expos. His official motto, stitched into his waistcoat lining, read:
"All of me is the main attraction."

This portrait was commissioned after he won both “Best Beard” and “Most Dazzling Décolletage” in the same evening—a record that still stands unchallenged in Iowa history.

❦

Colin Batty is an artist from Manchester, UK. He has worked on countless cool projects including Tim Burton's, Mars Attacks, the Oscar nominated short, The Sandman, Eddie Murphy's, The PJ's and many, many more. Colin has contributed to Freakybuttrue for many years and graces this site with his amazing designs, incredible sculptures, comics and his world famous cabinet card paintings and so much more.

Each original cabinet card is a genuine one hundred year old (or more) photograph on which Colin directly paints. Photographs of this age are often creased, scratched, deteriorated, and otherwise worn. Colin often utilizes the character of the wear to find inspiration.

ATTENTION: This is a PRINT of Colin's original Cabinet Card which you can see HERE.