The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1854-02-09
Bearded Women.

we respectfully ucuiCdtc lHe loHpN iIis!
compilation to the friend, who in debate
maintained that beard was the badge ol
manhood. To these we might with propri-
ETY. add the female whom Mr. Barnum has on
exhibition. We were personally acquainted
with lady who had TO use the razor every
morning. and then presented a dingy aP-
pearancc about the mouth. These all, how
ever, may be the exceptions to the rule:-
Hppocrtes cites an instance of a oman
of Abdcra, named Phetus, whose husband
Pythas was long kept in exile. and was
walked, one morning, with beard whlch
had grown in the night.
Queen Marguerite Of the Pays-Bass. had
face quite covered with lorg and strong
beard
There was a Swedish woman enlisted
among the grenadiers of Charles Nil, who
/ had beard foot and half. She Was
made a prisoner at the battle Of Pultowa
and carried to St Petersbureh, where she
was presented to the Czar in 1924.
/ In the Cabinet of curiosiiies at Stut9ard
j. to be seentic portrait OF n woman named
Bartrl Araetie. whose chin is darkencd with
an uinbraTeous beard.
In lG27, the CarniN at Venice was re-
markable for dancer Of the first i'll SEX,
who aStonished the gay world no less by her
remarkable grace than by the black sand pre-
fuse beard upon her chin.
There is a race of women III Ethiopia, ac-
cor,ng to Leblond, who are heavily beard
ed
1t is recorded in the P-gonans, that the
women of Athers Wore artificial boards
which they arranged with most iliusory eff
fects upon their cheeks from their own hair
and which enabled them to figure upon the
ramparts as soldiers.
| The women of Lombardy, at one time,
| formed themselves into military companies
and wore artificial boards: hut continued the
fashion of boards long after they had given
up fife and drum, and ceased wishing to re-
| pei or be formidable.
| Cicero records law against the practice
of some secret by which the Roman women
were at one time, enabled to produce a
beard.
A police report of France, in ls45, men
tions witness. who, on being summoned
TO the stand as Madame I.efott. showed q
/ bearded face above the crowd. The mags-
trate reminded the sheriff that tady was
wanted. not Il oenticmHa: but the subtequent
appearance Of the shoulders and chest cor
reeted his misrepresentation, though the
Court was silent for some seconds with as
tonislment at the beard.
A case Of slander occaSioned some trnub-
| le in Paris in the time of Louis NIL. arising
from curious misappre hension. A Mon
seur Naucclas, called upon widow Mad
anne pilou. to enquire as to the renting Of a
house. Her intimate friend, Madame de
Castillo, chauced to have shared her bed
the night previous, and the gentleman cali
inc early. asked to speak to the fair pro-
pretrcss, without troubling her TO rise
! Her friend had been in the habit OF making
herself younger-looking by shaving, and was
at that time, living in secusion but in the
enjoyment of lu1uriant beard; Mons
Vaucelas. seeing one of the occupants OF the
bed bearded and the other not, naturally
mistook the matter, and circulated an injur-
ious report accordingly. 1t was corrected
but not till after some perpleAing circuni-
| stances.