The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-20
SECRETS OF THE STAGE.
How Some Famous Artistes "Make Up" to
Produce the Required Effects.

How Some Famous Artistes make Up" to
Produce the Required Effects.
New York Graphic.
Occasionally among conservative people, to
whom the whole life behind the scenes is sealed
DOCK, 1t is rumored, as if greatly to her moral
credit as well as to the honor of her beauty,
tnat some particular actress does not paint on
the stage Mrs. Langtry was put on this i'm.
aginary roll of honor when she first came here.
Such reports are certainly always evolved en-
ureIy from the depths OF somebody's inner
consciousness. for no woman who was ever
before the foot-lights would make such an unen-
hghtened pretension. Every one on the stage
must paint; the conditions are SO unnatural
that to achieve the effect of nature unnatural
means must be used; but even in trying to ar
rive at the most ordinary ends that is, the great
est possible youth and beauty. people 60 about
the matter very differently. Nine. Patti makes
up with grease paint and wears a great deal Of
rouge; she is so dark that the ordinary powders
and washes would not suffice to bring
her to the traditional fairness of the
stage heroine. Bernhardt puts but little red
on her cheeks but rouges her eyelids heavily,
and her example has affected the whole French
stage, and that has in turn Influenced ours so
that we see quite too much of pale faces with
RED eyeds and lips; the bizarre result is not
often so becoming as it is to La Bernhardt, with
whom the bizarre is speciality. Fanny Da-
venport puts no rouge about her eyes, but
makes her cheeks very red when the scene per.
mts. Georgia Cayvan wears little rouge, but
an extraordinary amount of black around
her eyes and on the lashes. Each artist must
learn the best methods for her OWL
face. and the application of red, white and black
after manner generally accepted will some
persons produce the undesired illusion of twenty
added years and distorted features. Nature can
not be taken as a guide. An old actress, speak
ing to a novice said, You have to put that
rouge where by experiment you find it becom-
ing-no matter if it is in the middle of your
forehead or on your upper lip" 1t is usually
the mark OF an amateur to carry a
large and elaborate makeup box Old
stagers, like Mrs. John Drew John Gill
bert are Independent with some common rouge,
prepared chalk and pot of cold cream. They
will smoke the lid of the cold cream pot over the
gas to get lamp black, and put it on with a hair
pln'or twisted bit of paper. Some very ex-
perlenced artists, however, take the other turn,
and have an endless variety of mysterious boxes.
pots and bottles on their toilet-tables. Nine.
ModJeska has the appearance. when seen from
what actors call the front of the house, of being
au naturel she does not achieve the ballet girls
idea of beauty. which seems to be to look as lit
tie as possible like flesh and blood, and yet the
red and white ballet girl has not more cosmetics
on her face. The Madame does herself with alb.
solute care, and understands the art of making
up sufficiently we'll to do what very few English
or American actors are equal to-that is with
out any violent effects she, by subtle lines about
the eyes and mo nth, changes the character of
her face for different parts; she too more than
any Quiet woman On Cno Stage, is eQuaI to
carrying this idea of character into wigs
and dress. She sits down before her glass to
work up with array of pencils, boxes sponges
and brushes before her that look like apparatus
sufficient to produce a Axe academy picture. She
uses French make-ups altogether, they being
amenable to much more delicate handling than
ours. When Nine. Modje ska first played Rosa
lind there was considerable discussion Of the un-
expected PROJECTIONS she displayed in her doub-
let and hose, and ungenerous people freely re-
marked with an exasperating air of comforting
praise, that they never saw better padding. The
actress evidently understood the existence of this
skepticism, and she did what she could to meet
it by having every female member of her COM
pany, on one excuse another. in her dressing
room during the process of that toilet, that they
1T least might by actual vision be able to refute
the calumny. The device was at least success
ful as far as her own profession goes, for the
topic cannot be mentioned now 'in the profes-
sion" that somebosy does not settle the matter
oy saying "Oh know, l." or my wife" or
my sister," or "a girl / know was In the COM
oany with her and she says so and So" to the
of all detractors.