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Cosmetics and the discussion of their use were the favorite pastimes of the parlor set. Many books, often anonymously authored, provided beauty recipes and secrets to ladies of the courts. One example is this recipe for Poudre d'Amour—a flesh-colored face powder, popular during reign of Louis XIV (the “Sun King”, ruler of France from late 17th c. to early 18th c.): |
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Right: Queen Elizabeth I, lipstick advocate (2) |
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Because pale skin was perhaps the most important beauty attribute in western society for hundreds of years (the racial implications of this fashion have not gone unnoticed!), dark hair was coveted for its ability to emphasize this pallor better than blond hair. Other popular beauty rituals included wearing gloves perfumed with cloves, rose water and musk, as well as the wearing of face-patches. An interesting variation of the tattoo, patches in the shapes of hearts, stars, moons were placed around the face to draw attention to (or to conceal) certain features. The location of these patches conveyed a language all their own. A patch near the lip was called a coquette, meaning that its wearer was flirtatious. A heart-shaped patch on left cheek indicated that the wearer was engaged; a patch in corner of the eye was called la passionée, and conveyed the wearer’s joie de vivre. During the 19th century, two schools of thought on cosmetics emerged—one that promoted their use as a positive means of correcting nature’s deficiencies, and another that touted cosmetics as immoral instruments of sin and deception. Mrs. H.R. Haweis, the author of two books, The Art of Beauty (1878) and The Art of Dress (1879), was quite open in her advocacy of cosmetics. Though a firm supporter of beauty of character, she also supported the cultivation of physical beauty, and believed that the two need not be mutually exclusive: “The culture of beauty need never interfere with that of goodness and usefulness to others.” In other words, a little lipstick never hurt anybody! And yet others, such as the writers of Godey’s Lady’s Book (a Philadelphia publication from the mid-19th c.) advocated “moral cosmetics,” such as a good night’s sleep and the avoidance of card-playing, drinking and smoking. Now, in the (very) late 20th century, it appears cosmetic use is here to stay, as women and men continue to right nature’s "wrongs," or enhance nature’s gifts. And not just in Europe and North America, either. Cosmetic use can be found all over the world, in all variety of forms by all variety of people. October 15, 1999 Bibliography: Boucher, Francois, 20,000 Years
of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment Harry
N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, New York, 1965. Gregor, Joseph, Wiener Szenische Kunst, Band II, Das Bühnenkostum in Historischer, Aesthetischer und Psychologischer Anaylse, Amalthea-Verlag, Zurich, 1925. Marwick, Arthur, Beauty in History--Society, Politics and Personal Appearance, c. 1500 to the Present, Thames and Republic, London, 1988. Morris, Desmond, The Naked Ape, Dell Publishing Co., New York, 1967. Ragas, Meg Cohen & Kozlowski, Karen, Read My Lips: A Cultural History of Lipstick, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1998. Robinson, Julian, The Quest for Human Beauty: An Illustrated History, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 1998. Steele, Valerie, Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era to the Jazz Age, Oxford University Press, New York, 1985. Steele, Valerie, Paris Fashion, A Cultural History, Oxford University Press, New York, 1988. von Boehn, Max, Die Mode: Menschen und Moden im 17. Jahrhundert, F. Bruckmann A.-G., Munich, 1913. The Art Book, Phaidon Press Ltd., London, 1994. Photo Credits: (1) Gregor, Joseph, Wiener Szenische Kunst, Band II, Das Bühnenkostum in Historischer, Aesthetischer und Psychologischer Anaylse, "A.D. Bertoli: Figurine. Tuschzeichnung," plate 103. (2) von Boehn, Max, Die Mode: Menschen und Moden im 17. Jahrhundert, "Crispin de Passe, Konigen Elisabeth von England," title page |
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