The Brookhaven leader., 1884-10-16
Masks and CaSinmRs.


Tho use OF masks for balls and vari-
Gus social festiv ties. n dealer in masks
and costumes said, "has steadily in.
creased during tio past few years. Not
many years ago il was con. mel in this
country TO few German societies in
large cities and tJwns. Now. howev or,
there is scarcely village making any
Cretensions to mo,lera social customs
which does not have On, or more
masquerade balls during the winter
season. The mas uerdde bal season
begins Just after the holidays, and is
lept up the greater part OF the winter.
''Whera do masks come from? A few
are made in this country, bit the
largest number arc impo ted from
France AMI Germany. The prnlu ,tion
is SO cheap in those countries that they
liave practically the monoi o'y. for eve
with duty of forty live per cent. added
nobody in this country has ever been
able sue, e-s ully to compete with
France an Germany in making masks.
on see, ther5's no money in them. and
shcy can be made pro tably only where
labor is;very cheap. A tolerably good
mask can be bought for enc cent. To
he sura. spectators frequently buy the
privilege OF selling masks at balls, and
chargesas high as sevanty-tive cents for
AN ordinary paper mask, but the same
mask could be bought OF dealer fol
twenty-five cents.
The making of mask is not such a
simple matter as it seems to be. Oh
course the principal things used in its
construction are ordinary paper and q
plaster of Paris or composition mold.
In making half niaSks-t!.at is, masks
which simply cover the face-the labor
is very small. compared with the con.
struc ion of the full-head masks, which
cover the whole face and head of the
wearer and rest on the shoulders. The
paper is placed on the mould in layer.
until the re CURED thickness is attained.
The mods are made b. class of
artists who make a specially of this
work. They are usually made from
photographs o. sub. ects, many Of which
are indicated by the dealer when he
orders rom the manufacturer. The
large full-hcad nj SKIS re uire a series OF
mo!ds, each form ne part of sub
iect. When all the parts of mask are
completed. they are all joined together
in such way as 10 conceal the places
where the parts are DIN q.
MASKS have no; change in general
characte.' fer thc past fly y as. Each
season the variety is increased b; the
representation OF some character moi
shown before. usua ly a car.cature OF
some prominent person, OF a true like.
ness of some foreign or American nota-
bility, or some very odd or grotesque
subject borrowed from the animal
kingdom. We have masks represent
ing Pope Leo Kill. Napoleon, Bis.
marck, Kaiser Wilhelm, the Crow
Prin @, Beechcr, Ben Butler, General
Grant, Blaine, Conkling, President Ar
thur. Carl Scburz aud 9th RS. Among
the newest masks this season are tGose
representing John Kelly, Peter Cooper
and Talma se. The gene al line con-
ssts of masks representing old women,
young women, fat babies. the typical
Irish, ! utch, Yankee, En- rlish, Negro
and Chinese characters, Kings, Queens,
harlequins, clowns, Santa Claus, etc.
Then we have masks with movable
jaws, w.nking masks, masks repre-
sent'ng bears, wolves, monkeys.
every other kind of animal. Many
masks are made to order for the wear
ers. A large demand for masks arises
from their use for amateur theatrical
purposes. Cos; umes are made up with
them, representing the various charac-
tiers in Shakespearcan and other plays
of hstor cal or scr plural character.
We have make-ups' OF Booth, Jeffer-
son, RAYMOND, Emmett, Sarah Bern
hardt, anl other famous actors and
actresses as they appear in their re-
spective masterpieces. Masquerade
costumes vary greatly, according to the
tastes of ca h articular individual and
the prevailing fashion in dress. FIRE.
quently, when historical costume is
chosen. it is used as sort of groun l.
work, and modified or elaborated by us
in any way the fancy of the wearer may
dictate. In choosing historical cos
tum 's, as a general rule, gentlemen ad
here closely to the style of the original.
Ladies', on the contrary, want the cos
tune modified accord NC to the prevail
ing fashion. For instance. if it is the
fashion to wear putfs on the side, or i.
s;tshes are worn. the gentle sex want
inc 81 yie III inc Hills lucldUe Co.'S CHucS-
If gentleman. however. orders a cos
tune worn three hundred years ago, he
sticks to it. 1t is funny. but it is s.,
Most costumes are simply fantastic with
out regard to any of the historical
styles shown in the earlier times. Cos
TUNES are in many cases made to order,
but generally they are hired for special
occasions from regular costumers, who
keep a great variety of styles on hand.
Often costumes are made 10 order for q
special occasion, and taken back by the
cOstumcr afterward and hired by les.
fashionable people for other occasions
Formerly mas Iuerade suits were
trimmed with fancy braids and ribbons:
now they are embroidered in the m1-t
expe ,sive manner. There is scare, -
any limit to their cost. That depends
on the richness of the material, style
and the laracter of ornamentation
have known wealthy society lady to
pay rs high as five hundred dollars for a
masquerade suit. Even that figure is
often exceeded ~. Y. San.