Victorian young lady. (Isabel 2015)
The Victorian period marks the time of the reign of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901). What was fashionable at that time, hair styles and make-up, were higly influenced by the social norms of the period.The Victorian age was the period of "natural beauty", one of the most austere and restrictive periods in history when it comes to make-up and how women used to make themselves more beautiful with the use of cosmetics. Applying make-up and wearing showy clothing was disgraceful, this only being accepted to use by prostitutes and actresses. A true lady at that time wore very little facial make-up, but focused on preserving her beauty using beauty masks made from honey, milk, eggs, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables and other natural ingredients. For both men and women cleanliness and personal care were of importance, but a painted face was criticized by the society. (Isabel 2015)
According to Charlotte Kuchinsky, "the Victorian period was, in many ways, an exercise in opposites. While to many it represented a puritanical time in history, to others it served to open the door to ultimate liberalism.
At the start, the Victorian era was about modesty and natural beauty. Women of higher class practiced restraint with their makeup. Although many still used powder to tone down shine and give the skin a lustrous glow, it was used sparingly. Even eye shadows and lipsticks were very pale in tone and carefully applied. Bold colors and heavy makeup application was initially considered taboo and was used only by prostitutes. The use of cosmetics actually became controversial with many religions banning them as immoral or labelling them as “the tools of the devil”. Eventually this stance backfired, making women once again want that which was considered “naughty”.
Hair in the Victorian era was quite demure. It was often pulled back off of the face and placed in a chignon, bun, plaits, or even curls. Long, gentle curls were used to accent the face at the sides or even in the back. Smaller baby curls sometimes accented the forehead as well. It wasn’t uncommon for women to slick back or oil their hair to assure a smooth style. Even men took on a more modest stance, wearing their hair far shorter than any period prior. Curls were acceptable even in men’s hairstyles as was the use of oil to smooth out a difficult coif. In contrast, however, Victorian men often sported a mustache or beard and sometimes allowed their sideburns to grow."
Victorian young lady.
Victorian young man.
For the Victorian lady fashion became a virtual prison. The period ideal of women's beauty beauty was fragile, fainting femininity. To make their waists appear smaller, women used corsets that often was crushing the ribs, injuring the heart and lungs, the stomah and many other internal organs.A tiny waist was set off by an enormous skirt, supported by layers and layers of petitcoats, and from the1850 by the metal crinoline which was literally a cage which could give women a six-foot circumference. "The fashionable silhouette was imobilising and rampantly artificial, but the one area of the body where, in theory at least, no artifice was allowed was the face." (Marsh 2009)
Victorian fashion print, 1850s.
The obvious use of cosmetics was considered indecent and face painting was attributed only to actresses and streetwalkers. Painting the face was considered a satanic ritual to spoil and deform womens beauty.
The classic image of Victorian beauty was a natural, peaches and cream complexion, cherry ripe lips, with sparkling eyes fringed by soft, fluttering lashes - which was expected to be a natural gift from God. External loveliness was associated with inner virtue. Early rising, cold water, fresh air and temperance were considered the ultimate elixir to beauty according to the fashion guides. "Plain living and high thinking" would do more for the skin than any powder and paint, and improving the mind was a sure way of improving the appearance, Victorians considered.
The complexion became even more important and was an indicator of youth, health and social standing. Fair skin and a lily-white hand would make a lady distinguishable from the working class woman. Pallor was in fashion and tight lacing enhanced that, ladies being advised to not step into the sun without protective accessories as gloves, bonnets, veils and parasols. Ladies used to make themselves cosmetics at home to whiten the face and preserve their youth. Women searched in gardens for herbs and flowers, fruits and vegetables, honey and other edible ingrediends and fed their faces from the kitchen.
Overt skin painting and shop-bought cosmetics were frowned upon, "A violently rouged woman is always a disgusting sight and... excessive use of powder is also a vulgar trick". A little bit of homemade make-up was somehow more acceptable but only if used with discretion.
One of the reasons women were encouraged to make their own make-up and cosmetics is that with no legislation in place,it was impossible to control and assess the igredients and the potential harmful effects to the skin of manufactured products.
"Whilst make-up might have been beyond the pale there was no shame attached to buying skin and hair improvers." "Skincare was a booming industry".
"Face creams were not the only acceptable Victorian beauty products." Perfume was another requisite. (Marsh 2009)
If their hair didn't "frizz" naturally, or was simply too thin for fashionable hairstyles, they could always buy a wig. Britain was one of the biggest purchaser of human hair by 1865. The alternatives to a wig were frizzing your own hair with curling papers and pind which was an uncomfortable process, or later on, using curling tongs. Despite the risks of burning, curling and crimping irons were standard dressing table items. Elaborate Victorian hairstyles, and the drying effects of curling, stimulated demans for pomades, hair oils and bandolines (gum-containing setting lotions). Perfumed bear's grease, an expensive product, was used by both men and women to promote hair growth. (Marsh 2009)
According to 'The Artificial Face', the desired look for a Victorian woman was "She possessed the innocent face of a china doll, with a rosebud mouth, dimpled cheeks and small neat features framed by a demure hairstyle of ringlets" (Gunn, 1975)
"Like any fashion, make-up went through highs and lows of popularity through the centuries, indeed, from decade to decade.
Cosmetics referred to anything applied to the skin of a medicinal nature, and embellishments were pastes, powders and paints, used to alter appearance. People with acne or smallpox scars, or similar disfigurements, often wore pastes to smooth their complexions. All of these products were purchased at local apothecary (pharmacist) shops and through doctors or, for the very wealthy, ordered from specialist dealers abroad. There were also home-made versions, and even the poor where known to indulge. So, yes, people did wear make-up throughout the 19th century, subtly and garishly.
Here we have a macaroni (circa 1780) and dandy (circa 1810) at their “toilet tables” getting ready for their day. Note the posture and waistline of the dandy indicates a corset. On the right is a drawing of George “Beau” Brummell.
During the Regency (1811-20) and Napoleonic Wars (1803-15), aristocratic and affluent men in Britain started to move away from the dainty silk outfits, wigs, and heavy face pastes and paints that had been popular at court, peaking with the macaronis in the late 1700s, and continuing with the fashionable dandies. Probably the largest influencing trend to adopt more masculine appearances was the wars, as Admirals and Generals became national heroes, so the wealthy gentlemen emulated the “rugged” look. The suits and primping were still far from a soldier on campaign, but at least they proved more practical. Having the Prince Regent abandon his wigs and adopt minimal make-up, trousers (known as pantaloons), waistcoat and topcoat, as so famously influenced by Beau Brummell (1788-1840), meant the dress at court changed to reflect these tastes. Note: Men continued using pastes as moisturisers, and to hide blemishes and scars.
Ladies from late 1790s to 1830, revealing the popularity of very pale complexions with rosy cheeks, somewhat red lips, and perhaps a bit of eye-liner. The most ostentatious adornment in these portraits is a pearl necklace.
Ladies had already gone to limited use of make-up during or soon after the French Revolution (1789 to 1799), rouge being the exception. Clergymen preached against “painted ladies” pointing to Jezabel and godless heathens around the world as examples of ill repute. The Church of England, along with Britain’s empire building, was determined to bring purity and modesty to women of all lands. Queen Victoria denounced painted faces as vulgar, but it was later in the era with her prolonged mourning period, and not until the 1870s with an economic depression that minimalism became the strictest, only to swing back again in the 1880s with the “professional beauties” and completely abandoned in the “Naughty Ninties.” (For more on these societal changes and the Victorian feminine ideal, click here.) In the 1840s, only prostitutes and actresses, who many considered of the same ilk, embellished their appearance with excessive paint and gaudy jewellery, however, limited use was the rule for most ladies. By about 1850, as only the most effeminate of dandies were still applying make-up, women were adopting subtle applications, and wearing more precious adornments. It was during this decade Crème Céleste became popular, which was a mixture of white wax, spermaceti (from an organ inside sperm whale’s head), sweet almond oil, and rosewater. This facial paste had moisturising properties, but it also hid blemishes and provided a light smooth complexion. It developed into a common emollient and cosmetic remover, soon known as cold cream.
Portraits from the 1840s to 1860s.
As part of their “toilet” in the morning ladies of leisure would ensure well plucked eyebrows, perhaps trim their eyelashes, and daub castor oil onto their eyelids and lashes. To hide freckles, blotches, or redness, they could dust on rice powder, zinc oxide or, the most expensive option, pearl powder, which was a mixture of chloride of bismuth and French chalk (talc) and provided a silky white and lustrous cosmetic powder. On their lips they might apply a clear pomade (like beeswax) for a shine and to provide protection from the elements, and some contained dye to discreetly accentuate the lip colour, crushed flowers and carmine (made from the female cochineal insect) being favoured. Many recipes for lip salve included evergreen bugloss, also known as alkanet, a common weed with blue flowers that provides red dye, the root in particular (but does nothing for chapped lips). For a healthy complexion, and to contrast the very pale skin of the privileged class, red beet juice or a carmine dye could be massaged into the cheeks. For bright eyes, a drop of lemon or orange juice in each eye would be used, and was considered a cleansing method. Poisonous belladonna was also dropped into the eyes causing the pupils to dilate, creating a luminous glow, but clouding vision. People with cataracts were prescribed belladonna; Queen Victoria used it in her declining years rather than have surgery. Eye paint (eyeshadow) was popular, red and black, used excessively by “fallen women” but very subtly by respectable ladies (more like eyeliner), who would deny wearing it and be insulted if anyone ever dared to ask. Eye paint was made of mixed lead tetroxide, mercuric sulphide, antimony, cinnabar, vermilion, and secret ingredients. Another choice was to put beeswax on their lashes, then apply any number of black powders, from soot to crushed precious stones.
Two lovely “toilet table” chests from the 1850s, of rare wood and bound with brass, lined with lush velvet, both would likely have mirrors in the lids and amongst the various containers include scissors, tweezers, medicine spoons, corkscrews, bodkins, boot hooks, knives, &c.
How did ladies of the nobility and gentry hide their use of pastes, paints, and powders? By including the products in their toilet chests, designed for use on their dressing tables and for travel. Within these expensive little boxes were medicinal cosmetics, and all the application tools, but then the vilified embellishments as well. Some chests were crafted with secret compartments. An imported box of make-up could easily be emptied and discarded, the products re-bottled and placed amongst acceptable skin creams and treatments, many provided by doctors so totally respectable. In particular, prescriptions were an ideal excuse for older ladies to coat their faces with a paste, achieving a light-coloured even coverage, and the charming bloom of youth. Middle-class women often couldn’t afford their own toilet chest, but they could purchase a medicine chest for a reasonable price, and hide appearance enhancers in with the tonics and balms. The products were all readily available at any apothecary shop, and a discreet lady could send a servant to the next town for purchases that might prove embarrassing.
Two ends of the spectrum. A plain apothecary’s chest from London, Taylor Bros of Cavendish Square, 1860, but with a secret compartment, and an elegant travel case including a hidden document wallet, gold plated cutlery, mother-of-pearl handles, sewing kit, pens and inkwell, numerous spare cut-glass containers, &c. Both would have served well to hide a lady’s make-up.
References:
- Marsh, M. (2009) The compacts and cosmetics: Beauty from Victorian times to the present day. United Kingdom: Pen & Sword Military.
- Gunn, F. (1975) The artificial face: A history of cosmetics. New York: Hippocrene Books.
- Fleming, R.S. (2012) Kate Tattersall adventures. Available at: http://www.katetattersall.com/early-victorian-era-make-up/ (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
- Isabel (2015) The history of Skincare. Available at: http://www.isabelsbeautyblog.com/2015/07/the-history-of-skincare/ (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
- Kuchinsky, C. (2007) Beauty through the ages - the Victorians - the beauty biz - article. Available at: http://www.thebeautybiz.com/87/article/history/beauty-through-ages-victorians (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
- Old time cuties (no date) Available at: https://ro.pinterest.com/pin/86201780340395426/ (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
- Victorian postcards and famous artist (no date) Available at: https://ro.pinterest.com/pin/331225747564020487/ (Accessed: 27 January 2016).
