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Cosmetics

Page history last edited by Chloé Worrall 8 years, 7 months ago

Cosmetics

 

Introduction

           

     Just as trends in music, literature and art change, so too do trends in fashion, hairstyles and cosmetics. The 18th century is a period that identifies strongly with cosmetics (or “make-up” as it is more commonly referred to in this day and age), as it became a compelling symbol of the aristocracy during the Age of Enlightenment and French Revolution.  Both the English and French were dominant fashion leaders during this era and it is mainly to these countries and their literature that this page looks to identify the cosmetic trends in the 18th century.

 

Cosmetic (as defined by the OED)
adjective

1.Relating to treatment intended to restore or improve a person’s appearance.
2.Affecting only the appearance of something rather than its substance.

Make-Up (as defined by the OED)

noun

1.Cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter
the appearance.

 

     The applying of cosmetics in the 18th century had a specifically meaningful function in Renaissance France. Each morning a commemoration, known as the toilette (in relation to ladies) or levée (in relation to gentlemen) would occur; this was the dressing or rising and application of aristocratic ladies and gentlemen in front of an exclusive audience. This ceremony included the application of cosmetics, the dressing of the person and hair styling or wig placement. Conceived by King Louis XIV of France as a way of fortifying his power and hold upon his country, by permitting members of his court to witness his rising, this ritual spread from the royals to the aristocracy and even to members of the bourgeois classes as an act of wealth and power. The ritual soon spread to the rest of Europe; noble ladies and their toilettes in particular became favourite subjects of art and literature at this time. 

 

     The intimate start of the toilette would occur away from prying eyes, to prevent embarrassment of both the lady and an audience; even an aristocratic has difficulty looking perfect after immediately waking up. Once the lady was dressed in suitable under garments and her hair and face looked presentable, an audience was permitted to watch the rest of her dressing.
Aileen Ribeiro describes the act, in detail:

                                                                      “On awakening, the fashionable lady rang for her maid who handed her a lace-trimmed manteau de lit for her early ablutions, after which she was dressed in a negligee du matin, a loose robe worn over chemise and stays. Then she was ready to receive visitors in her cabinet de toilette; these could include men, and very                                                                                           often abbes, who acted the part of cicisbei and were always there with the latest news and gossip. It was then that her hair was done, either by a personal maid or                                                                                           a male hairdresser, and the finishing touches applied to the face…The light-hearted intimacy of the lingering toilette was an essential part of dressing in the                                                                                           eighteenth century."     

 

   

 

     The 18th century ideal of the perfect woman meant the possession of specific features that all ladies strived to achieve. The most desired hair was wavy/curly and either black, brown or blonde in colour (red hair was considered distasteful and would be covered up with dye). She would possess a high forehead, pale skin and round, rose coloured cheeks. Small lips were the most fashionable, painted red, with a plumper lower lip to give the effect of a rose. The eyebrows were shaped to be full and perfectly semi-circular, to resemble a half moon.  

 

       

 

 

A Brief History of Cosmetics

 

     For over 6000 years men and women have decorated their hair and skin with paints, perfumes, powders and dyes. These kinds of cosmetics were primarily used to intimidate rivals and enemies, portray an individual’s importance within a society and also in spiritual and magical rituals.

 

     Today’s multi-billion pound industry owes its success to the ancients; Egypt, Greece and Rome. Whilst the act of tattooing and painting the body can be dated back to the Stone Age, some of the first use of paints and powders for cosmetic reasons is linked to ancient Egypt. Kohl dates back to 3100 BC where the Egyptian nobility and royalty as well as religious figures would were face makeup to show their spirituality and promote aesthetic relations. 


           

 

      The ancient Greeks used charcoal to achieve their black eye paint. They would also extract the juice of vegetables and fruit for lip and cheek stains and used white lead as a base to achieve the most desirable of complexions; alabaster.  Similar to the Greeks, the Romans used similar minerals to achieve their coveted aesthetics, but the use of powders and dyes were discouraged, as they were believed to promote looseness amongst men and women. 


                                

 

     Make-up was detested throughout the middle ages; the church, which preached that it was adverse and harmful to ones health, spawned this hate of face painting. Unknowing of just how harmful it was at the time they would instead use a powder made up mercury and arsenic, in order to give the appearance of a subtle pale complexion, which hinted at wealth and prosperity.

 

     Zinc was introduced into face powders in the 19th century as a way of obtaining a perfect, pasty complexion, whilst lampblack was used around the eyes. It was only during the 20th century that products were introduced into the make-up market meant to improve the appearance of skin using healthy and safe ingredients; and thus cosmetic giants such as Maybelline, Max Factor and Lancôme. 

 

Cosmetics in the 18 Century 

 

                

 

 

Beauty is Pain: Makeup And Lead Poisoning in the 18th Century

 

      Lead poisoning was a common occurrence throughout the 18th century due to the popularity of the lead based white and red powders. 

The improvement and evolution of transport resulted in local businesses possessing previously rare and hard to come by products such as paints powders and wigs. This then resulted in even members of the lower class finding themselves easily within possession of paints and powders that only the aristocracy had thus far been the proud bearers. As the towns and cities grew, a new class of money and people were born. These people were not nobility; unassociated with the aristocracy, they were merely towns’ folk who aspired to appear as sophisticated as the courtiers.

 

            Ironically known as the Age of Enlightenment, a large majority of the men and women that lived during this era exposed themselves to the toxins within the lead laden cosmetics, aiming for perfection. Exposed use of these make-ups incited baldness, teeth decay, blackening of the skin and inflammation and swelling in the wearer’s eyes. It was common knowledge that the use of lead make-up could lead to death but this did not slow down the use rate.

 

            Throughout the 1700’s, people persisted with the whitening of their faces and the staining of cheeks and lip, using yet another deadly cosmetic object - Spanish wool; a course ream of hair similar to that of steel wool. These cheek and lip stains would be applied over the white powder in either a triangular or circular shape. The application of red or pink paint to the lips likewise used the harmful Spanish wool; the colour would be painted on to give the lips a petite, rosebud effect. Venetian Ceruse was also an option 9made by combining vinegar with powder lead), which would result in a desired, plump, swollen appearance. Maria Gunning, The Countess of Coventry, considered to be one of the most beautiful women of the Georgian Era used Ceruse heavily, which eventually led to tooth and hair loss, dissolving her skin and scarring her permanently. Powder would be applied to the hair or wig and also to the bosoms of women, whilst veins were painted blue for emphasis. An exposed bosom was incredibly fashionable in the 18th century, but those that wished to exceed all others with their perfect skin had chest that were “scabrous with inflammation”.

 

     

 

 

            Both men and women, plucked, shaved and penciled their eyebrows to achieve the desired look; women’s were shaped high and curved, and by the late 1760’s men had started to apply lead to achieve a thick black look (men also applied rogue to their cheeks by this time to match their lips, which would have been stained a dark pink or red).Some men and women even went so far as to completely shave off their brows and would either paint them on or they were replaced with fake ones - usually made from the skin of mice, glued in using a paste - in order to perfect them
Swift writes of this in his poetry:

            “Her eyebrows from a mouse’s hide
            Stuck on with art on either side”

 

            Beauty patches made of materials such as leather and taffeta became a fashion staple, which looked pleasing and worked effectively to hide unsightly marks. As time went on the patches progressed from simple circles to elaborate, ornamental shapes including hearts, moons and stars; along with the accompaniment of a fan, they allowed women to easily and simply hide scars and marks caused by skin decay and pox.  They also held a practical political use; by wearing the patch upon a certain side of the face, a woman could show her support to her favoured political party. When present at King Louis XV’s court, the position and meaning of these fashion accessories became more elaborate and complicated.  The placement of one could denote passion (corner of the eye), sauciness (upon the nose), even gayness (specifically in the centre of the cheek). Courtiers could were dozens of theses patches at once to portray their affections and intentions at particular events.

 

            A pale complexion was the most coveted, so to protect ones skin from the undesirable colouring of the sun, a mask was worn outdoors. Primarily made from leather it would be covered with silk or perhaps velvet (coloured black). Half masks were most commonplace; one which covers only half the face with circular holes for the eyes, held upon the face with ribbons that tied at the back of the head. The lack of eye make-up during the 18th century may be explained by the common use of these ornate masks.

 

            Due to the lead in the face powders attacking the enamel of the teeth, false ones became in high demand. One of the ways in which this was done was by replacing the decayed or lost ones with fake teeth, made with wood or bone that was threaded into the mouth, but this procedure was painful and most people settled for their decayed, blacked teeth. To help with this acceptance, dentists prescribed remedies to help to combat smell and taste of the rot; common ingredients included honey and cinnamon, this ironically aided in the further rotting of the teeth but would give temporary relief from the symptoms.  

           

Beauty is only skin-deep: Cosmetics within 18th Century Literature

 

 

The Evolution of Beauty: Cosmetics in the 21st Century

 

            In modern times, men and women still strive for the ideal aesthetic appearance, dictated by society’s idea of perfection. Whilst cosmetic trends have changed drastically since the 18th century in terms of the products and ingredients used, the influence of what is the perfect appearance lingers on. Some trends have taken the ideals of the 18th century look to extremes, such as gothic make-up, which takes on the place complexion and lip staining, but with more intensive colours like purple and black; others have taken a completely different route, aiming for a darker skin complexion or manipulating creams and powders to give the appearance of a complexion that looks completely void of any make-up.

                                    


 

Men and women of the 21st century are not dissimilar to those of the 18th century. There is a more eclectic mix of complexions and colours applied and arguments over what is the perfect appearance but the cosmetic use to achieve these looks remains the same. 

The physical ideals of perfection during the 18th century stemmed from royalty and cascaded down throughout society via physical displays (the Toilette and Levée). 21st century men and women are more affected and influenced by beautified images projected via social media and technology, commonly, not of royalty but of celebrities. In an age where a large per cent of the earths population has access to the Internet, and sites such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Amazon and Ebay, access to a cosmetic cream or powder tat can make you paler, darkeris easier than ever claiming to fix and improve a persons physical appearance in any way they desire s. 

           

 

Bibliography

 

Angeloglou, Maggie. “A History of Make-Up”, Studio Vista, 1970. 

Baker, Patsy. “Wigs and Make-up for Theatre, Television and Film”, Focal Press, 1993.

 

Bender, A. “Assistants of Beauty: Cosmetics in the Rococo and Empire Eras.”

 

 Corson, Richard. “Fashions in Make-up from Ancient to Modern Time’s”, Peter Owen Ltd, 1972.

 

 DeGalan, Aimée Marcereau.“Lead White or Dead White? Dangerous Beauty Practices of Eighteenth-Century England.” Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts, 2002.

 

Delamar, Penny. “The Complete Make-up Artist, Working in Film, Television and Theatre”, Macmillan Press Ltd, 1995.

 

Festa, Lynn. “Cosmetic Differences: The Changing Faces of England and France.” Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, 2005.

 

Festa, Lynn. “Personal Effects: Wigs and Possessive Individualism in the Long Eighteenth Century.” Eighteenth-Century Life, 2005.

 

Frampton, Mary. “The Journal of Mary Frampton: From the Year 1779, Until the Year 1846”, S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1885.

 

Gayne, Mary K.  “Illicit Wigmaking in Eighteenth-Century Paris”  Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2004.

 

Haulman, Kate. “A Short History of the High Roll”, Common-Place, 2001.

 

Hyde, Melissa. “The ‘Makeup’ of the Marquise: Boucher’s Portrait of Pompadour at Her Toilette.”  The Art Bulletin, 2000.

 

Kwas, Michael.  “Big Hair: A History of Consumption in Eighteenth-Century France”, American Historical Review, 2006.

 

Martin, Morag.  “Doctoring Beauty: The Medical Control of Women’s Toilettes in France, 1750–1820”, Medical History, 2005.

 

Martin, Morag.  “Selling Beauty:  Cosmetics, Commerce, and French Society, 1750-1830”, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009.

 

Palmer, Caroline.  “Brazen Cheek:  Face-Painters in Late Eighteenth-Century England.”  Oxford Art Journal, 2008.

 

Ribeiro, Aileen. “The Female Face in the Tate’s British Collection, 1569-1876”, The Tate Gallery, 1987.

 

Swinfield, Rosemary. “Hair and Wigs for the Stage”, A & C Black Ltd, 1999. 

 

Trasco, Mary. “A History of Extraordinary Hair”, Flamm Press, 1994.

 

Williams, Neville.  “Powder and Paint: A History of the Englishwoman’s Toilet, Elizabeth I – Elizabeth II”, Longmans, Green, 1957.

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