Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-05-09
The Toilet Of a E'OInpeiinn Lady
Of Fashion.

This was the subject of a recent lecture.
The lecturer began by saying that he re-
mpmbered seeing a picture, discovered in
1853, representing gentleman entering
the toilet room of POmpeian lady. He
remembered the story of the minister
whom the people liked because he pitched
into old NebuchadneZzar for his Sins but
said nothing of theirs; so, II he should en-
ter one of the toilet rooms OF Pompeiian
house, and should there see an inlaid box
containing white powder, and il he should
discover a lady endeavOring to place this
powder upon her face by means of a light
ieathery brush, it should not be forgotten
that he was speaking of eighteen hundred
years ago. and not of SCIENCES of to-day.
They don't do such things now. If he
should discover u lady attempting to con-
ceal the less Of her natural hair by means
of the manufactured article, remember this
was eighteen hundred years ago. They
don't do such things now. The lecturer
then proceeded to his main subject, and
opened by saying that, in all ages, woman
Is what man makes her; men and women
exist tor each other, and the reason that
women adOrn themselves Is to please men.
Our girls of to-day are no less eager to
adorn themselves than were the girls OF
Pompeii; but the position of woman among
many literary women, they had only few
reading women.
In the words of the apostle, the women
were made beautiful according to the flesh.
They used every eXeTtiOn to conceal the
existence of wrnkles-there are none now
a-days. They had many rOugeS, washes,
&C., to destroy the marks of time, and in
| their endeayOr to preserve their complex
ion they were wont to bathe in luxurious
scented baths of asses milk until the whole
body became perfectly smooth. Their
toilette occupied an entire half day at the
swapping of the fingers the servant came to
the bedside to more thoroughly awaken her
mistress. First her face must be washed,be-
fore any man was permitted to see her.
! And not such a washing as is undergone
| now, for the paste of bread and milk with
which the face had been thoroughly cover
ed the night previous was to be removed so
carefully as not to leave the slightest red-
| ness of countenance. The teeth were then
replaced. the eyebrows pencilled and the
complexion improved. ........ .....
Notwithstanding the comparatively re-
cent discovery in dentistry, the teeth OF
Pompeians were filled with gold.
Brown, yellow, and even red hair, being
scarce cred hair-there is no such thing
nOw-a-days-it is either golden or auburn)
| were cOnSluereu laSnlOndDle Gneu as well dS
at the present time; a species of soap was
used to color black hair, but when the HAIR
absolutely refused to change color, it was
cut OIL and the head supplied with the FASH
ionable Tint This is never done nov.
The Roman ladies knew with ours that
secrecy is one of the charms of their toilet
Their beauty was not of the class to be
handled, taken apart and put together again
by those whose eyes they desired to please
Like the ladies of our time, they attached
value only to what was foreign, and ne
kind of wash or rouge could be used unless
it had a foreign name.
When in grand toilet, a Pompeiian lady
of fashion glittered i'll real gold-not At
tleborOugh-and she had great number o
most elegant jewels. Some of the cameo:
are SO delicately engraved as to require I
lens to see the design, and how could these
be engraved unless the Romans had mag
nifying glasses?
The lecturer before closing noticed sew
eral slmlariJies between Pompeiian lady:
method Of dressing the hair aud those now
in vogue with us. and illustrated the same
with numerous drawings. One had rat>
and mice skilllully arranged; another 9
fine waterfall .....