.

I’m still sorting through the cornucopia of old family photos my husband unearthed in the basement … like this one of my grandfather (middle) who seems a tad overdressed for fishing.

.

.

And this one… where he’s enjoying a backyard garden party with Wednesday Addams.

.

.

It’s frustrating because very few of the photos are labeled or identify the subjects. So when I came across this picture I was thrilled.

.

.

My grandfather was a well off Englishman who traveled the world and it doesn’t surprise me in the least that he was sailing on the Lusitania. Eager to discover who his companions were, I researched the man on the left and came up empty. But the gentleman on the right?

.

.

Evander Berry Wall (January 14, 1861 – May 4, 1940^[2]) was a New York City socialite and later an American expatriate in France during the Belle Époqueand beyond. He was famous for his extravagantly refined look and was crowned “King of the Dudes” in the 1880s.

The King of Dudes?

How bloody marvelous.

.

.

My father and his father before him were both snappy dressers known for their sartorial splendor so I’m sure Berry felt right at home.

.

.

.

A wise man, old Berry.

🤣

.