Schumann, around 1834

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856), aged about 24 
Reproduction of a missing portrait, around 1834

In this picture, the twenty-four-year-old Robert Schumann appears somewhat like a bohemian, with an attitude that is quite obvious and deliberate, as he himself warned his mother who was constantly worried about his socially reputable position anyway: "Erschreckt nicht! Ich lasse mir jetzt einen Bart wachsen" ["Do not be frightened. I am just growing a beard now". What nowadays would appear to be perfectly "brisk", with the loosely tucked neckerchief making for this as well, was met with refusal by the family even after Schumann's death. The original of the picture felt to be "hideous" was apparently destroyed deliberately, if one is to believe a statement of the eldest Schumann daughter, Marie, which was passed down. 

(I.B., translated by Thomas Henninger)

Robert Schumann, aged about 24 
Silhouette of Robert Schumann, around 1834
RobertSchumann House in Zwickau

This profile view of Robert Schumann, whose identification with his person is assured by a handwritten note by Clara Schumann on the sheet, also shows Robert Schumann with the newly grown little moustache.