The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-09
.ENAMELLING.
what 1T 1s and How 1T is Done.

Among the mysteries Of the feminine toilette,
which from time to time distract the minds Of
PHILOSOPHERS there is none 80 difficult to learn
anything about as enamelling. But what is
enamelling? We answer frankly that we don't
know 1t is rep orted that there is such an
art, and that by it's means woman with
harsh or even dsorderod skin, and a bad COM
plexion, may be endowed with a smooth and
perfect skin, and complexion of fdazzllng
beauty. How is this do ? Is it done at all
We know not. Yet we have occasionally met
in society ladies Of extraordinary charms, and
sometimes Of great social distinction, who we're
said by others to have been enamelled, and to
have passed through such o transformation
from ugliness to beauty.
The word enamel, in ordinary use, signifies
to apply a coating Of smooth, CLASSY substance
to the surface OF glass or metal, and to fix it
there by baking II heat so intense that the
coating and the surface beneath it become
clearly not applicable to the human skin; and
yet we have been told that those ladies who
were pointed out as enamelled were character
lied by preternatural smoOthness and hard
ness on the surface of their faces and necks,
in appearance not unlike porcelain. The by
pothesis then is, that human enameing con-
sists in the fastening Of o thin and delicate
paste or porcelain covering upon the exterior
Of the face and neck. How this is done is not
known, otherwise 1t would be easy to tell what
is enamelling.
That the process is not inexpensive would
appear from recent affidavit OF the notorious
Madame Rachel, the enameller in London who
states that when in May, 1866, she was called
upon to enamel Mrs. Borrodaie, her fee was
thousand guineas, besides a gift of fifty
pounds, which she always requires her GUS
toners to give to the poor--and that such are
still her charges-in all, about $1,000 in our
money. For-the thousand guineas Mrs. Bor-
f6daie gave an acceptance, anu the fifty pounds
SELF, and fhs VWaSaffRrtQWak WSafRr Wk to dspense for her
When she came into her hand, Madame Rachel
afhrms that Mrs. Borrodaile head only few
patches Of rusty gray hair, and her head and
face were disfigared by an eruption; ow her
skin is beautiful, and she has head of beau
tiful, soft, curly blonde hair. cg
TT is 80 manitestly for the interest of char
latan Like Madame Rachel, to make the credu-
lous believe that there Is some secret artificial
method by which fright of a woman may be
converted into fairy, that her testimony is Of
no value in solving the great question, what
is enamel!ing? It is very probable that it is
nothing; but delusion practiced upon fools,
and that really there is no such thing. But, on
the other hand, we have the very general belief
in it's reality, founded upon the alleged fact
that some ladies have suddenly gained q kind
of delicately tinted, smooth, metallic, though
apparently not infexible skin, very unlike that
which they had previously possessed. How
did they obtain it? And no " do they keep 1t
We ought to add that one Of the prevailing
cannot wash their faces, but slightly moisten
the enameled parts. Also, that they have
to be very careful how they arrange their faces
when they 60 to sleep. What horrible idea
And how little is such artificial and precarious
beauty to be envied !-Ne,o YorE Sun.