Edwardian Stage Make-up

The Need for Make-up

The first and perhaps most obvious requirement for stage make-up is to enable the performer to alter the appearance of his/her natural features to more nearly match those expected of the character being played, ie. to alter his/her apparent age or racial characteristics etc. But this is in fact in many respects only a secondary requirement. Even when the actors own natural features are entirely germane to the part, make-up is still necessary to cope with the effects of stage lighting. Significant developments in the quality of stage lighting leading up to the Edwardian period meant that this latter requirement was more true then than ever before. Lime-lights in particular gave off a very harsh pure white light. The effect of strong lighting on the characters on the stage was to overwhelm the natural characteristics of the face, making the features and natural colouring completely disappear. If the actors were to appear as anything other than bland faced dolls then strong make-up was required to repaint the features larger and brighter to stand up to the glare. In this respect stage make-up was (and still is) very different from everyday cosmetic make-up, it is generally much heavier and under normal lighting conditions may look very garish, meretricious even.

The Edwardian stage artist had fewer materials in his or her make-up kit than the average star of today. Plastic and rubber prosthetics for example are a modern invention, the Edwardian star having to rely on putty to acheive the same effect of restructuring the nose or extending the chin. Nevertheless, if an Edwardian theatre star could be brought forward in time to look into the make-up kit of a modern star he/she might marvel at some of the new materials, but most of what he found would be instantly recogniseable.

Materials

The following is not by any means intended as an exhaustive list, just a discussion of some of the more essential materials to be found in the Edwardian actors make-up kit.

Cold Cream - Cold cream was often considered to be the actors best friend since it protected the skin from the ravages of the greasepaints. Theatrical cold cream was generally coarser than the toilet variety although the actual formulation differed between manufacturers, and individual actors would frequently swear by their own particular favourite brand. Cold cream would be applied as a thin layer rubbed into the skin before the application of the greasepaints as a protection and to make the paints easier to remove. More cold-cream, liberally applied, would be used at the end of the performance to 'cut' the greasepaints so that they could be wiped away. Some actors preferred to use vaseline to protect the skin and/or olive oil for paint removal.

Greasepaint - Greasepaints were/are oil-based pigments, with different colours being applied to the skin and blended to acheive the desired complexion. Grease paints were a relatively new innovation to the Edwardian theatre. They were first imported to Britain from Germany around the late 1870's but by the turn of the century had become almost universally accepted, replacing powder paints as the mainstay of the actors make-up kit. This marked a significant step forward, as not only did the oily base make them impervious to perspiration, but improved pigments made them generally free of toxic compounds which had plagued earlier make-ups (or at least reduced these to safer levels). Earlier compounds for example had commonly contained significant amounts of lead oxides which, when absorbed through the skin, caused hair loss and eventual lead poisoning. In spite of this, preparing the face with a barrier of cold-cream, even with those brands that claimed it to be unecessary, was still considered highly advisable. Greasepaints were usually sold in stick form and invariably numbered according to their colours and shades (although the numbering system varied according to manufacturer). The paints would applied in streaks or dabs and blended with the fingertips or a fine sponge. Foundation was applied first, generally a shade darker than natural skin tone according to the character being played, two colors being blended if no one color was appropriate. General practice was to start the application at the forehead blending up to the hairline, then down to cover the rest of the face including the ears, eyelids, and neck. After the general foundation, lighter colors would be applied to counter the shadows under the nose and on the chin, followed by blusher (in red) to highlight the cheeks. Finer lining-sticks would then be used to outline the eyes.

Face Powder - A translucent powder was then applied to set the grease paint, reducing the shiny appearance and the tendency to smear. Furthermore, powder applied between each color helped to keep the colors from running together. Powders came in different shades and colours, often matching the sticks of grease-paint, to apply the finishing touch to the make-up effect. face powder needed to be applied with great care since over-application could ruin the hard work already done in applying the greasepaints.

Lipsticks and Rouges - Rouges came in a pot or in sticks like greasepaints and were available in many hues as well as wet (shiny) or dry (dull) varieties. For men, a colour would be chosen that was only a little darker than their natural lip color, for women it would be used to fill in the lips completely and applied garishly so as to be dark enough to be seen to have a cosmetic effect when viewed from off-stage.

Spirit Gum - Spirit gum was essentially a glue that could be used to attach false beards and moustaches as well as artificial noses etc. to the skin. The spirit gum needed to be applied to clean dry skin before the application of any make-up, and to the appliance to be fitted, and both be allowed to become tacky before the appliance was pressed to the skin and held in place until the gum took hold. For extra security a little cotton wool could be mixed with the gum to strengthen the bond.

Nose Putty - Nose putty could be used to alter the shape and/or size of the nose as well as to create all kinds of other facial effects such as scars, warts and cauliflower ears. To apply the putty, a small peice would first be broken off and kneaded into the desired shape. This would then be affixed to the skin using spirit gum and the edges smoothed and blended in with lubricated fingertips to ensure no visible ridge was left to betray the join. The make-up would then be applied over face and prosthetic alike. The prosthetic appliance could be removed at the end of the performance by simply peeling it off, and residual spirit gum removed with cold cream or rubbing alcohol.

Crepe Hair - Crepe hair came in locks or braided strands tightly bound by string. Crepe hair did not reflect light in the same way as natural hair and it was therefore necessary to always select a shade several degrees lighter than the desired shade. The beard and/or moustache could then be built up by cutting lengths of hair from the bundle which needed to be carefully combed to remove any tangles. The hair was then carefully rolled between the palms to give it shape and volume and glued to the face with spirit gum, building up the beard a small area at a time.

Mascaro - Black or white mascaro powder was commonly used to colour the hair, the latter being used to grey the hair to simulate aging.

Accessories - Paint rags, together with a generous application of cold-cream, would be used to remove the make-up at the end of a performance. The rags could be of cheesecloth, towelling, soft linen or other materials such as paper napkins according to choice. Greasepaints in particular were often coarse and gritty and their removal could abraid the skin, giving origin to the phrase "skin off your nose", an actors wish of good luck to a fellow since it implied the actor was using greasepaints and therefore in work. Puffs and Brushes of various sizes and diameters to aid the application of the various make-ups. A large flat-backed puff was especially useful for quickly refreshing the make-up during a performance. A Small Parafin Burner or similar could be used to warm and soften paints and nose putty to make them more malleable and ease application. Lastly a Large Case deep case to store and transport the make-up materials when on tour, one with a mirror-lined top being especially useful.

Pigments

Pigments were the colouring materials used in grease-paints, face powders and other make-ups to derive the different shades and colours. The simplest pigments are the pure reds, blues and yellows which can be mixed together in differing combinations to produce any shade or tone seen in nature. Below is a list of the primary pigments used in stage make-ups, and some of the sources from which they were commonly derived.