Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-10-02
The Expression Of the Mouth-Its influence
npOn the Character of the Face.
The London Fg,n;Iu TTsroIJ Lo, tl,;, a..

The Expression Ofthe MOuth-Its influence
upOn the Character of the Face
The London Family Herald has this dis
sertation on mouths.
The mouth is feature upon which very
much of the character of the face depends
No woman can be pretty woman, who has
on ugly mouth. To the most regular feat
ures gaping mouth, or ugly, dropping and
DadIy-formed lips will give an air of listless
Ignorance, or half idiocy, which is repulsive.
Firmness, decision, cruelty, softness and
gentleness of mind, love Of our fellows, elo-
quence, spite, vindictiveness, generosity and
strength OF character, are all indicated by
the mouth. ~
1t is incumbent, therefore, with astute
and cunning gmen-with those who are crafty
and poltic and whoplot against humanity
to conceal the play and workings of the
mouth. AS Caesar covered his badness with
laurel crown, so modern Cesar covers
his lips with thick dropping moustache; in
this, too, nature has admirably aided him
Forester the Bow-street runner, and Fouche
Napoleon's celebrated chef de police, almost
invariably detected the guilty by noticing
the play of the lips. Forester, in his curl
Gus MemotrS, has frequently told us that he
saw guilt upon the lip" of more than one
whom he suspected; and his sagacity, if not
unerring, was great. But who can watch
the play of the mouth when it is covered by
a thick grove of moustache All the cee-
brated police agents, from Fouche to In
spector Whicher have been completely puz-
zled by such. 1t is well, therefore on inn
portant occasions to conceal the mouth. 1t
is too sure an index of character.
Thin, pale lips are supposed to be indica-
tive OF ill-temper. They are more surely,
perhaps, the consequence OF a weekly and
not too healthy habit of body. A very thin
neither lip, clenched teeth, and pale cheek,
have been for ages the stock-in-trade of the
tactionist when he wishes to draw conspir-
ator; and the painter has followed him.
Judas, in many of the early Italian pictures,
is shown biting his under lip. Richard, the
Third, as portrayed by Holingshed and by
Shakespeare, had a similar habit Men of
nervous and eXcitabe temperament have
especially if suspicious, habit of pluckinp
at their lips and distorting their mouths.
Small mouths are very much praised, and
have been for long time very much in
fashion. Fashionable painters and artists for
the Book Of Beauty have carried this small
ness ofmouth to an absurdity You will see
engravings of ladies with mouths consider
ably smaller than their eyes, which, of course,
presuming the face to be in due proportion
is as much monstrosity as if the mouth
like that of giant in pantomime, extended
4 from ear to ear. The female mouth should
not be too small.
From what we can gather from cootempo-
rary portraits, supposing them to be true,
both Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of
Scots, had mouths much too small to be
handsome. That of the former, the greatest
female monarch who has ever existed should
have at least indicated her capacious mind.
That ofQueen Charlotte was ugly; thatof the
princess OF that name was true Brunswick
mouth, exhibiting the two front teeth, from
the shortness and curious elevation of the
upper-lip, which is perpetuated in the males
Of the present royal family. The house of
Hapsburg has also very sgly mouth, cell
ebrated as the Austrian mouth.
Certain masters of the ceremonies have
written much on the expression of the moath.
ut is" says one, "the feature which is called
into play the most frequently; and, therefore,
even where beauty of form exists, careful
training is needed, to enable it to perform cor
rectly its manifold duties. An elegant man
ner ofutterance renders words, insignificant
in themselves, agreeable and persuasive. In
the act of eating, skillful management is
necessary. A laugh is very severe test Of
this feature"