The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-07-12
PAINTING THE FACES
OF the Amateur Actors and Actresse.
-Modus Operandi,


-Modus Operandi.
I"Manhattann in Chicago Journal
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 is that the
decorators, as the makeup artists are
generally called, confne themselves al
most entirely to amateurs The most
popular Of the lot is little Swede, who
has o studio on Broadway. He has
pale and classical face, long hair, and is
of delicate physique. He dresses chiefly
in a Byronic collar, but also wears a
frock coat and patent-leather boots, and
is extremely dainty and neat. He is
favorite with the army of amateurs, par
ticularly with the girls. He charges
50 night for his services at an even
ing entertainment, and has entire charge
of every face that gees on the stage
For so night he VIII provide all
ne essary wigs and VIII skers. He goes
to the theatre at o'clock, selects a
room, plae es a chair in fr. Mt of
mirror, and is ready for work.
The men are easily treated. AS a
rule. all they neel is a little
rouge on their cheeks and chins,
shaded eyebrows and whitened fore
heads. If they play characters little
advanced life, the decorator powders
their hair and whiskers, paints a line or
two about the eyes where the crows
feet belong, and shades the under lip a
| little, which gives the mouth drawn
| expression. For the Williams, he usually
puts on little blue and white stu /,
which represents a bristling beard,
about the chin and neck, and gives the
wearer more or less villainous appear
ance. The makeup of the women is
much more difficult. A man is usually
so astonished by his beautiful appear
ance after he has been painted that he
has little to do beyond admiring him
self in the glass. The exact re erse,
however, is true of the society act
resses. They are never satisfied The
little Swede darkens their eyebrows,
drops belladonna into their eyes, paints
line under the lower lid, shades the
face carefully with white, red and
whitens the nose and eyebrows, and tnts
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. Il look frightfully
sensational and glary."
"Not at all, miss" he says, in de-
precatory manner. "If [ made your
eyes less prominent, people would
notice your nose. which ou 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 Ihereupon she
fiops down in the chair again, and he
agrees to heighten the color of her
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 that
q tiny dimple goes unobserved. To all
these criticisms he submits with much
apparent humility, and he afterwards
frees his mind concerning this subject.
Amateurs are the most difficult peo-
pie in the world to get along with" he
growls; "they neser know what they
want, and are never by any means sat-
isfed, no matter how well they are
made up. I refer of course to the
women. The men never paint, and
therefore have no opinions worth both
ering about. But almost every society
woman has practiced upon her face al
various times, and all of them think
they know more about making up then
faces than the best makeup artist il
the world. They cannot realize the diff
ference that gas-light makes on the
face on the stage. Then, too, they are
so nervous that they are glad to have
somebody to find fault with. They pay
me, and then think they can jump OF
me. 1t is very fatiguing. 1t is mucl
greater fun to be W th professional act
ors, for they ale the jolliest men ant
women in the world, and there is nt
end OF fun in making them up. The,
know exactly what they want, and whe1
!, they get it they are pleased"