The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-05-02
HOW B~ERNHARDT DRESSES
She Never Wears Corsets-The
Great Actress in Dressing Room.

Nine. Bernhardt uses very little
makeup. She never wears a wig save
as Cleopatra, where the heavy orna-
ments would pull and destroy her W
hair. She never touches her eyebrows,
which are of the salne reddish color as
her tresses. On her arms. neck and
superb shoulders she spreads a thick
soft cream, brought-as all her cos
meties are-from Paris, and then
powders them freely. Her eyes are
touched With blue-black color, which.
increases their almond shape, and she
brushes her cheeks, chin and even her
nose with the slightest tinge of rogue,
which she puts thickly on her ears.
She is much more careful about her
mouth, which she tints with O little
brush dipped in cariniue.
Between every act Bernhardt gargles
her throat with a preparation OF her
own, and washes her hands 10 prevent
them from swelling. She has very
dainty hands and feet, and there is no
longer any need to muffle up her neck
in those high collars made fashion
able by her. All the hollows are filled
out and B~ernhardt's figure is superb.
She wears no u~nderskirts, simply a
Princess undergarment of pink silk, a
sort of combination garment, which
fits closely to the figure. and is with
out neck or sleeves. Over this the
draperies are arranged with safety
and jewelled pins; a scarf or ceinture
OF diamonds and amethysts, and
sometimes only a wide ribbon sash is
wound tightly around the hips
never about the waist-and these
centuries define perfectly her 1.-the,
supple figure.
a mistake; see,n and she threw her
arms over her head and bent and
swayed her sinuous form till one won
dered at the almost tigerish swiftness
and grace of the woman.
In her dressing room you are talk
ing to a bright, natural woman. who
looks at herself frequently in the glass
and seems to admire her exquisite eyes
and red lips as she smiles and mods to
her mirrored image. On the stage all
this is forgotten. In the last terrible
scene in Fedora, where the unfor-
tunate woman poisons herself and dies
In her lovers arms, begging forgive
ness in that most pathetic and mar
velous voice, il is genius that reigns
supreme IL 10 1CdOicf NV a
hardt, whom we see. Never, never
can that death scene be forgotten
the drawn face, livid with horror, the
eyes coal-black now and blazing with
fear, love, divine passion, the
hands crooked and thrust into
the carefully arranged hair, until
the curls are all disarranged, and in
stead of nesting piquantly round the
face are pushed with V hands
up above the broad brow, to the utter
disregard of dress, ornaments or any
of the feminine trihes but a moment
before SO carefully adjusted. 1t is
sublime 1t is genius IL Is Bcrnhardt
at her greatest and best
When she returned to her dress
ing room, pale, her eyes burn
ing, her mouth yet quivering with
the passionate words of love and grief
she had spoken to her lover, l was al
most afraid to speak. She painted as
she sank into a chair, while outside
the audience Numbered and roared
plaudit upon plaudit, and sang the
''Marseillaise," and seemed as if they
would tear down the house to get at
the woman who had so conyulsed
them with the magnetism of voice
and eye and gesture.-Ioronto Mail.