His parents were general Baron Nikolai Alexandrovitch Von Wrangel of Terpelitzy and Maria Vladmirovna.

[4] Wrangle's "Man in the Hathway Shirt" character, who always sported an eyepatch, was created in 1951 by David Oglivy.

[2] Ogilvy explained that the eyepatch was intended to turn the image from an ordinary product photo shoot into a story, leading readers to wonder who the man was and how he lost an eye,[5] drawing the reader into the rest of the story:[6] the typical Oglivy extensive ad copy.

Oglivy, inspired by a photo of Ambassador Lewis Douglas,[2][7] by serendipitous chance saw a pirate costume eyepatch in a store on the way to the first shoot, and elected to have Wrangell wear it for the ad.

Wrangell's character – a worldly, distinguished-looking gentleman – displayed an aristocratic aura, and was shown in settings typical of a debonair man of leisure: composing music, playing chess, drinking wine, stepping off a plane, playing the cello, sailing, fencing, buying a Renoir, and so forth.