victorian beauty

Victorian beauty

In 1837 when Queen Victoria had taken to the throne, a strict moral code changed the Victorian era, modesty and religious values became very important. This cause a decline in the use of cosmetics, although the use of cosmetics was frowned upon throughout the era this didn't stop women from applying colour to their faces.

Anonymous. (06/08/10). Beauty in the victorian age. Available: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/. Last accessed 01/18/15

Queen Victoria (1837-1901)

Dr. J Bondeson. (01/03/11). stalking is not a modern phenomenon. Available: http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/People/article567239.ece. Last accessed 19/01/15.

Victorian makeup

Anonymous. (unknown). makeup in victorian times. Available: http://bbeautiful4u.co.uk/tag/make-up-in-victorian-times/. Last accessed 19/01/15.

A Victorian women was considered as a fragile an delicate flower throughout the period, therefore  

the  Victorian era was mainly about women presenting themselves as a natural beauty, this involved carefully applying pale coloured products to the face in order to look as natural as possible. Bright colour products were frowned upon throughout the period and were only used by prostitutes and actresses.

It was common for a Victorian women to have a fair complexion,as it was considered as a sign of nobility , this meant women began applying a white mineral powder and zinc oxide to their skin or even avoiding sunlight by sitting under parasols or drinking vinegar in order to have pale skin if the sun effected a victorian womens skin sour milk which was applied to the face at night would be used in order to reduce to colour . In order to exaggerate the pale complexion appearance women began applying rouges to their cheeks and emphasises the dark circles situated around their eyes, for a short amount of time throughout the period.

In order for a Victorian women to achieve the natural beauty look, pale coloured eye shadows which were made from lead and antimony sulphide were applied to the eyes and lipstick made from mercuric sulphide .It was also common for a Victorian women to pluck their eyebrows

Throughout the Victorian era skin care became very important , as a result women throughout the era started to create creams which they would apply to their face using natural kitchen ingredents or scents from a variety of flowers.

Anonymous. (06/08/10). Beauty in the victorian age. Available: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/. Last accessed 01/18/15

Bathing became a part of a Victorian womens daily routine, they would women would visit spas and create their own soaps and shampoos. Lemon juice Almonds and venice soap was used in order to create lemon soap which was a popular mixture which the women would use.

Anonymous. (unknown). victorian beauty. Available: http://www.angelfire.com/ok5/agw/ssjudybeauty.htm. Last accessed 18/01/15

I created a collage using a variety of images materials and noes which I feel had an impact and would also show my understanding on the Victorian era.

Contemporary Victorian makeup

After researching a variety of modern styles of Victorian makeup it is noticeable that majority of the makeup which resembles the period of time is now used for weddings this may be due to the natural beauty and nobility persona.

Anonymous. (unknown). Alice in wonderland . Available: https://www.pinterest.com/christellex/alice-in-wonderland/. Last accessed 18/01/14

The image taken of actress Anne Hathaway playing the character of the white queen in the 2010 Alice and wonderland film, can be considered as a contemporary style of makeup for the Victorian era. It is noticeable when looking at the image that her complexion first of all has been over exaggerated to look pale, he makeup overall is very subtle particularly around the eyes and in order to complete the look a dark rouge colour has been applied to the look.

Michal Negrin. (unknown). wedbook. Available: http://weddbook.com/media/791543/wedding-photography. Last accessed 18/01/15.

The makeup in this image I believe has certain elements which can relate to the Victorian era. The complexion in the image is fair in order to convey nobility, also by Michal Negrin making the application of colour to the eyes generally quite dark, I feel this can relate to the trend during the era where women would exaggerate dark circles around their eyes in order to make their complexion seem pale.

Anonymous. (unknown). why dont you have a marie antoinette inspired wedding. Available: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuoxL8FRIDZ-1UPDT_znm8iTZySQPelru5YHFFJPPCglXiyX6u8Q. Last accessed 18/01/15.

The inspired Marie Antoinette tends to ressemble the Victorian era style of makeup in terms of the colour scheme. The rouge colour which has been carefully applied to the cheeks and lips, the makeu around the eyes is subtle and the complexion of the model is the image is generally quite pale.

Victorian hair

Anonymous. (2009). Victorian. Available: http://www.secretscents.com/artwork/artwork-victorian.html. Last accessed 19/01/15.

 The Valenciana Victorian beauty  Image conveys how women s hair was styled during the Victorian era. It is evident that majority of the Victorian women had long brunette curls usually accompanied with a hair decoration such as flowers or hair clips.

During the Victorian period another aspect which the women took pride in was their hair, it was common for Victorian women to have brunette colour hair which was tied back off the face an placed into plaits or a bun. Long gentles curls was another popular style for women. Majority of the Victorian women had long hair which was rarely cut unless they were either ill or an older women. Hair pieces were also applied to the hair for thickness and combs and clips were also used for decoration.

Anonymous. (unknown). Hair:the styling of the society. Available: http://chertseymuseum.org/hair. Last accessed 19/01/15.

The portrait of a Victorian man known as Albert Smith by field Talfourd conveys how Victorian men styled their hair.

Men's hair during the Victorian era was generally quite short, it was also common for curls to be incorporated even into men's hair . Men's hairstyles were often accompanied with sideburns a moustache or beard.Oil was a well known product which both men and women used on their hair in order to keep it smooth and sleeked back.

 

Contemporary Hair

Anonymous. (25/08/12). katherine Pierce victorian vampire diaries fashion. Available: http://feminspire.com/get-the-look-nina-dobrev-in-the-vampire-diaries/katherine-pierce-victorian/. Last accessed 18/01/15.

The photograph taken of Katherine Pierce ressembles the Victorian era in terms of how her hair is style,  her hair is long and brunette and the curls are situated around her face .

The models hair in this photograph contains a variety of different haistyles on how the Victorians wore their hair throughout the era combined together in order to create a contemporary Victorian hairstyle. Majority of the models hair is pulled back off her face and secured into a bun and the remaining section of hair is curled and situated around her face . It is also noticeable that a section of the hair is styled into a flower like shape, which also tends to resemble the Victorian era.

Anonymous. (unknown). modern victorian hair . Available: http://pixgood.com/victorian-updo-tutorial.html. Last accessed 18/01/15

The contemporary image of a classic updo, resembles hairstyles from the Victorian era, due to the hair being curled and pulled back on the face and styled and secured into a bun.

Victorian shopping

During the Victorian era, high street brands were around for upper class and middle class customers, shops such as Harrods, WHsmith and Debenhams were popular retailers for the Victorians. William Debenham wanted to create a store  potential wealthy customers selling goods such as silk fur embroidery and shawls. Debenhams was also one of the first retailers to sell a sewing machine also.

The first sewing machine was created by French tailor

barthelemy thimmonier in 1829  but was soon  patented in 1851 Isaac merit singer. As a result by the 1850s most garments were stitched by hand. In 1856 , world fashion magazines began selling sewing patterns included in their magazine. The Butterick pattern started to become popular in the 1860s and 1870s firstly in America in England soon after.

Maurice Baren (1999). victorian shopping. England: Michael Omara. 56-57

In the late 1850s to the late 1880s, shopping soon became a lot more updated, in 1859William Carter had a high street shop for womens lingerie ,Peter Robinson had a swimsuit shop and Robert Shaws high street shop was well known for its stokings bonnets and parasols.

Healthy and beauty also became a lot more popular for the Victorian women, J&E Atkinson was known for its perfume and powders which were imported from the south of France, and a new product named Cherry Blossom also had became popular with women, reducing any skincare problems such as blemishes, this product was available on the high street from 1887.

Maurice Baren (1999). victorian shopping. England: Michael Omara. 63-66

Victorian fashion

The women during the Victorian period were well known for wearing garments with lace or frills and buttons incorporated into the design, women would often wear a corset in order to compliment their figures and create a dramatic waitline, corsets were often worn under  day time or evening gowns along with a petticoat and pantaloons.

Many of the gowns were made of sheer materials luxourious fabrics and velvets for thoe who were upper class, on the other hand materials such as calico and linen were used to mae gowns for Victorian women who were in the middle class or lower class catergories. the style of the sleeves design for many of the Victorian gowns were puff tops.

Victorian men were often seen wearing linen material clothing which were neutral coloured accompanied with scarfs an neckties. Older men were mainly seen wearing luxorious fabrics such as silks and velvet rather than linen

Charlotte kuchinsky. (22/09/07). Beauty through the ages- the victorians. Available: http://www.thebeautybiz.com/87/article/history/beauty-through-ages-victorians. Last accessed
01/18/15.

 Paxton Price. (08/06/13). victorian dress and victorian style of clothing. Available: http://www.victorianchildren.org/victorian-dress-and-victorian-style-clothing/. Last accessed 19/01/15

A well dressed man

Lord Chesterfield explained 'it is foolish for a man not to be well dressed'

Burlington arcade,1818 was the first English shopping arcade for men. Lock and co , was another popular shop where Victorian men would buy their hats, the company received instructions to make bowler hats and also woven panama hats in 1850. In 1856 another hat shop was opened by Thomas Burberry aged 21, which can be located in Basingstoke .

Linen shirts with cuffs and collars were usually to be worn by lower class males ,which were made from a linen material. Jackets and waistcoats were usually accompanied by the linen shirts. Hygiene in Victorian times was also not as hygienic in comparison to modern times, due to the clothing being uneasy fabrics to wash , clothing wasn't usually washed for several days maybe even weeks.

Maurice Baren (1999). victorian shopping. England: Michael Omara. 74-79

Gothic fashion

Gothic fashion is a style worn by subculture goths which started in the early 1980s  and originated from the punk s Victorians and the Elizabethans  . the style of clothing worn is usually dark colours . Men and women who tend t follow the gothic style have dark hair and usually wear dark eyeliner and nails.

Anonymous. (unknown). Gothic fashion. Available: https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Gothic_fashion.html. Last accessed 18/01/15.

The image photograph of the gothic style gown is a good example of how it relates to the Victorian period. The gothic gown is a corset style which highlights womens waist line and fabrics which are used were also  incorporated into Victorian style gowns such as lace .

Anonymous. (unknown). oh my goth. Available: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/547820742143009745/. Last accessed 19/01/15.

Anonymous. (unknown). house of death. Available: https://www.house-of-the-undead.co.uk/product_info.php/restyle-midnight-queen-gothic-necklace-three-bats-gothic-victorian-p-153. Last accessed 19/01/15

The makeup in this photograph in particular also highlights why gothic fashion originated from the Victorian era. Although the colour applied to the lips and eyes is dark in comparison to the pale colours which the Victorians wore, the complexion is very pale , after researching into Victorian beauty ideals it is known that women would avoid sunlight and apply zinc oxide and white mineral powder in order to have pale skin. Victorian women would also exaggerate the dark circles around their eyes in order to make their complexion seem fairer, this tends to relate to gothic makeup being particularly dark around the eyes.

The hair in this photograph is long dark and plaited accompanied with a flower headpiece this tends to relate to the Victorian era also. Due to Victorian women having long brunette hair which was either plaited curled or secured into a bun, Victorian women would also wear flowers or clips in their hair for decoration.

In order to show my understanding of gothic fashion, I create a moodboard using a variety of images keywords and materials .

The ugly face of beauty

An article which I found really interesting by the daily mail was a summory of the book the ugly face of beauty by Helen Rappaport. The article mentions what it was like as a victorian women durng the 18th to 19th century and how trends change from decade to decade. The book which was written in the life of Sarah Russell and  Became Madame Rachel who made women insecure about their beauty

"But in 19th-century Britain a heavy freight of moral baggage attached to beauty. Any attempt to mimic the lily complexion, rosy lips and cheeks, pearly teeth and abundant fair hair that were regarded as the ideal of female looks was enough to strip a woman of her good name. Only actresses and whores openly used cosmetics."    

Helen Rappaport(author) Jane shilling (article publisher). (27/08/2010). The ugly face of victorian beauty . Available: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-1305730/The-ugly-face-Victorian-beauty-BEAUTIFUL-FOR-EVER-BY-HELEN-RAPPAPORT.html. Last accessed 19/01/15.

This paragraph in particular when reading the summary of the ugly face of beauty i felt had the most impact, it conveys how important it was to be a natural beauty in the Victorian era and how reliable women became on the use of their cosemetics in order to achieve this persona. After reading the article it also seems as though Victorians became very judgemental on how a women presented themeselves throughout the era.

How to be a Victorian women

I found this book very interesting n terms of how women maintained themselves in every day situations. The only personal way of washing for a Victorian women was a stand up wash using soap a flannel a pail and a jug of water. After washes women also tended to wrap up, due to believing that pores were the reason for illnesses entering the body. A new problem which made women conscious was body odour during Victorian times deodorant was not available , William Thakery wrote a novel describing the Victorian times as the 'great unwashed'. In 1898 a cotton like nappy material was created for women, however women were too embarrassed to ask for the sanitary towels and they were delivered personally to women by the mail service in brown paper parcels. In 1897 a toothpaste which was made from almost a chalk or a soot to brush teeth. Toothbrushes were made from horse hair and wood.

Ruth Goddman (2014). how to be a victorian. England: unknown. 10-17

The Victorians were known for wearing several layers, they believed pores was an entrance for illness and wanted to wrap up, they also believed that sweating would help to release any illnesses which may occur. A Victorian man was known for wearing a vest, shirt jacket or waistcoat accompanied with some sort of hat depending on the class, sporting caps or woven hats were usually popular.

A Victorian women was known for wearing several layers also such as a corset, flannel belt, chemise, draws, loop skirt and a gown which was usually made from black or brown silk, this was also due the pornography stereotype, women were not allowed to show their ankles.

Ruth Goddman (2014). how to be a victorian. England: unknown. page 50-61

Whilst reading how to be a Victorian another factor which I found interesting was a Victorian women's ribcage before and after wearing a corset on page 71.

Anonymous. (unknown). corsets and health. Available: http://users.chariot.net.au/~posture/CorsetWebpage.html. Last accessed 08/04/15.

Victorian panorama

This book I found really interesting in terms of Victorian womens fashion, the book displayed plenty of pictures from the Victorian era, aswell as useful information. An essay written by  Baudelaire, declares 'there is no such thing as ugly fashion'. Fashion is referred to through art and music.

‘quand tu vas buyant l’air de ta jupe large, tu fais l’effet d’un beau vaisseau qui prend le large charge de toile, et va roulant suivant un rythme doux paresseux let lent.. ‘Baudelaire.

The book also describes men's dressed and how uncomfortable they were to wear and how there movement  was restricted, the skirt was usually around ten yards round  and made from horse hair wires and heavy silk. Fashion and reason were explained as never been friends due to the inconvenience of fashion over common sense . Victorian women, Amelia Bloomer was known for trying to make fashion successful under her name in 1851, however this did not work.

P.Quennel (unknown). Victorian Panarama. England: Unknown. 91-97

Here are some interesting photos from the book portraying victorian fashion and hair.

The ideal Victorian woman

Although Queen Victoria reigned the throne and was considered an ideal women of the Victorian era, Mrs Frances Goodby was considered as an ideal Victorian women of her era due to her moral sand how her life revolved around her family and her home.

Lynn Abraham. (2001/08/09). ideals of victorian womenhood in Britian. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_02.shtml. Last accessed 26/01/14.

 

Compacts and cosmetics - Madeline Marsh 

A book which was recommended by  makeup artist Lisa Edlridge ' compacts and cosmetics' mentions about how women used cosmetics throughout the different eras. Chapter two is about Victorian women's ideals of beauty the title of this chapter' unpainted ladies' I feel summarizes Victorian women before even reading the chapter  and compares women's fashion during the Victorian era due to morality as a 'virtual prison'. 

The chapter mentions how being an ideal Victorian women presented themselves  in terms of fashion with a fragile persona .

 'A tiny waist was set off by a enormous skirt initially supported by heavy layers of petticoats, then front the 1850s crinoline a literal cage of steel hoops that could give a women a six foot circumference. The metal crinoline  might have been lighter and cooler than the scratchy linen and horsehair underskirts but it was scarcely more liberating'  Madeline marsh (19/11/09). The history of compacts and cosmetics. unknown: anonymous. chapter two.

The quote from the compacts and cosmetics book conveys the discomfort women would go through in or to present themselves as a natural beauty .

anonymous. (unknown). late bustle 1883-1889. Available: http://trulyvictorian.com/history/1883.html. Last accessed 26/01/13.

In order to portray Victorian beauty  I created a face chart using natural and pastel colours. I firstly used my glamour glow pallet to highlight the convex areas of the face . I then applied a natural tan colour from the pallet to highlight the eyes . I then applied a light pink from my kryolan eye shadow pallet to highlight the cheeks and finally applied the colour also to highlight the lips . I lightly drew the lashes and brows using a pencil

Overall I was quite happy with how I portrayed the natural Victorian beauty look however , due to the makeup being natural I feel the makeup isn't seen as well .