The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-07-26

There are men in New York whose |
livelihood is gained by painting the |
faces Of actors and actresses. Nearly |
all Of the professionals do this work for
themselves, and the result IL that the
decorators, as the makeup artists are
generally called, confne themselves al
most entirely to amateurs. The most
popular of the lot is a little Swede, who
has studio on Broadway. He has a
pale and classical face, long hair, and
is of delicate physique. He dresses
chiefly in Byronic collar, but also
wears frock coat and patent-leather
boots, and is extremely dainty and
neat. He is favorite with the army
Of amateurs, particularly with the girls.
He charges 80 a night for his services
at an evening entertainment, and has
entire charge Of every face that goes on
the stage. For S20a night he will pro-
vide all necessary wigs and whiskers.
He goes to the theatre at 7 O'Clock, Sc
lects room, places chair in front Of
a mirror, and is ready for work.
The men are easily treated. As a
a rule, all they need is little rouge on
their cheeks and chins, shaded eye
brows and whitened foreheads. If they
play characters a little advanced in
life, the decorator powders their hair
and whiskers, paints line or two about
the eyes where the crows feet belong,
and shades the under lip little, which
For the Williams, he usually puts little
blue and white stuff, which represents
a bristling beard, about the chin and
neck, and gives the wearer a more or
less villalnous appearance. The make
up of the women is much more difficult,
A man is usually so astonished by his
beautiful appearance after he has been
painted that he has little to do beyond
admiring himself in the glass. The
exact reverse, however, is true of the
society actresses. They are never salts
fled. The little Swede darkens their
eyebrows, drops belladOnna into their
eyes, paints line under the lower lid,
shades the face carefully with white,
and red and whttens the nose and eye
brows and tints the lips. The woman
then looks in the glare of the foot-lights
about 5000 per cent better than she
did as nature made her, but her heart
is filled with dissatisfaction, and after
every act she goes down to his room.
"You've made my eyes too bright
and big" she snaps. "I look fright
fully sensational and glary."
''Not at all, MISS" he says, IN de-
predatory manner. "If 1 made your
eyes less prominent, people would no.
tice your nose, which you know Is not
particularly big"
She thereupon assures him that she
didn't ask him for any criticism Of her
nose, which, in all probability, is Of the
snub variety, and still insists that her
eyes look unnatural. Thereupon SHE
ilops down in the chair again, and hi
/ agrees to heighten the color of hel
cheeks, assuring her that that will re-
duce the prominence of her eyes. This
he does, and she does not bother him
again until the end of the next act
when she probably discovers that he
has painted her cheeks so brightly thai
: : a tiny dimple goes unobserved. 10 ali
/, these criticisms he submits with muct
: apparent humility, and he afterward!
t, frees his mind concerning this subject
, "Amateurs are the most difficult peo
a plein the world to get along WITH" he
= grOwls; ''they never know what they
, want, and are never by any means sat
isfed, no matter how well they art
: made up. 1 refer of course to the wo
, men. The men never paint, and there
fore have no opinions worth bothering
about. But almost every society wo
!. man has praeticed upon her face a
q various times, and all Of them think
i, they know more about making up thei
o faces than the best makeup artist il
n the world. They cannot realize thu
+ difference that gas-light makes on th
r face on the stage. Then, too, they arr
so nervous that they are glad to have
somebody to find fault with. They pay
me, and then they think they can jumI
). on me. 1t is very fatiguing. 1t il
much greater fun to be with professional
actors, for they are the jolliest men and
women in the world, and there is ne
r end of fun making them up. They
know exactly what they want, ant
when they get it Mey are pleased"