The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-09
ENdMELLING.
What it is and How 1t is Done.

Among the mysteries ofthe feminine toilette.
which from time to time distract the minds OF
.,,b;osoehers. there is none so difficult to learn
ANYTHING about as enamelling. But what is
.enamelling? We answer frankly that We don't
-tnow9 II is rep orted that there is such an
/, art and that by its means woman with q
-barst or even disordered skin, and a bad COM
plexon, may be endowed with smooth and
nerfect skin, and complexion OF dazzling
beauty. How is this done? Is it done at ALT
We know not. Yet We have occasionally met
in society ladies Of extraordinary charms, and
sometimes OF great social distinction, who were
said BIZ others to have been enamelled, and to
have passed through such transformation
from ugliness to beauty.
The word enamel, in ordinary use, slgnlhes
to apply coating of smooth, CLASSY substance
to the surface of glass OF metal, and 70 nX IL
there by baking, in heat SO intense that the
coating and the surface beneath 1t become
fused together. Such baking and melting are
clearly not applicable to the human skln' anu
vet 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 n.y.
pothesis then is, that human enamellng Con-
sists in the fastening Of thin and delicate
paste or porcelain covering upon the exterior
Of the face and neck. How this ls done ls not
known, otherwise 1t would be easy to tell what
is enamelling.
.That the process is not inexpensive would
appear FROM q 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. Borrodalo, her fee was
thousand guineas, besides gift OF hfty
toners to give to the poor-and that such are
stu her charges-in all, ABOUT $1,000 IN our
money. For the thousand guineas Mrs Bor-
rodaile gave an acceptance, and the hfty POUNDS
in charity she undertook to dispense for her
self, and the work was done accordngly;
When she came into her hand, Madame Rachel
afirms that Mrs. Borrodaile head only few
patches Of rusty gray hair, and her head and
rsco uore dis6sarod- by an ernntinn; n Az her
skin is beautiful, and she has head OF beau
tiful, soft, curly blonde hair.
II is so maniteetly tor the interest OF char
latan like Madame Rachel, to make the credu,
Ious believe that there ls some secret artlhclal
method by witch fright of woman may be
converted into fairy, that her testimony is OF
no value In solving the great question, what
is enamelling? It is very probable that 1t is
nothing but q delusion practiced upon fools,
and that really there is no such thing. Gut, ON
the other hand, we have the very general belief
that some ladies have suddenly gained a kind
Of deiicately tinted, smooth, metallic though
apparently not inaexible skin, very unlike that
which they had previously possessed. How
did they obtain it2 And no " do they keep 1t
We ought to add that one of the prevailing
superstitions about these ladies is, that they
cannot wash their flces, but slightly molsten
the enamolled parts. Also, that they have
to be very careful how they arrange their faces
when they 60 to sleep. What q horrible idea
And how little is such artificial and precarious
beauty to be enyied l-Neto York Sun.