St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-02
Notes on Makeup From the
Dressing Room Of Henry
Irving.
Grease Paint Goes a Long
Way in Aiding an Actors
Best Efforts.
False Eyebrows, BIaekened
Teeth and Boards Com
plete DISCUSSES.
Importance Of Face Pigments
and Wigs in an Actors
Profession.

and Wigs in an Actors
Profession.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
1t took great deal of patience to gain
an interview with Henry Irving. How
ever, one morning | met him by chance
as he was coming from the theater. l
introduced myself and quickly delivered
my petition, asking him to allow me to
be present some evening in his dressing
room while he was making up. l was
convinced that an actor like Irving
could teach me more inc ne hour than
was able to pick up in months of practi-
cal experience. L made my request SO
urgent that he could not refuse it, the
more so as he seemed to be in a great
hurry and anxious to get rid of me. A
few evenings later the stout janiIor
growlingly let me enter. The day be-
fore had sent an appropriate present
to bis master, including note remind
ing him of his promise.s
At the time a revival of the "Mer-
chant of Venice" was the attraction at
the Lyceum.
Entering the dressing room, with its
mirrors, WardrobeS, screens and toilet
tables on which wool, wigs, powder
boxes, bottles of all sizes and sticks of
grease paint were lying Ill great dis
order, L found the actor already dressed
for his part. but his face was not yet
made up. He nodded to me and beck
oned his dresser, mere boy, to proceed
in his work.
6sNn Gaf RuVaS
can be laid down for making up faces"
began Irving. seated comfortably in an
armchair. "A painter might as We'll
try to give his pupils in few set rules
the drawing of Raphael or the color
ing of Titan. Every Thespian must
study these things for himself, as they
can not be taught. The ordinary text
books are valueless; nevertheless L
might be able to give you few valuable
hints"
In the meantime the little dresser
had conbed the Shylock wig, and now
handed it to Irving, who seized it at the
temples and drew it down OH his head,
and then holding one hand on the part
so as not to remove it again. pulled the
''poIP' of the wig downward with the
other hand. This is the only right way
to put on wig.
The object in making up is not to
mask the face, but to aid and emphasize
its expression. This is the most i'm
portant point in our art, and should
never be lost sight of" he resumed, un-
dergOing the unpleasant procedure of
having his entire face besmeared with
cold cream and then carefully wiped off
with towel
1.-The best material for boards is soft,
raw wool, like this" and he seized
small lump of dark brown and mixed it
with q lighter shade; not put up in
|! braids as very often sold at the wig
makers. Good wool if pulled should
not tear, even if drawn in long strips to
the thinnesS of spiders web" Hold
ing the wool in the left hand he modelled
with the right uutiI it had the desired
shape of goatee and slight moustache.
glue into the water, held it over the gas
light, and applied it to Irving's chin and
upper lip.
'sOmIy Few DOtss''
Irving advised; ''they are sufficient to
attach beard" The extreme thin
ness, which allowed the skin to shine
pearance.
"And now the brows," calculated
Irving.
False browse" inquired doubtfulIy,
'sThey are as easily put on as postage
stamps on letter." the little dresser
allowed himself to remark. you SIM
ply daub them with little spirit gum
and slap them in place."
Hush" said his master, with faint
smile. .'To show you how far the
change of a single feature of face can
alter its expression, let us consider the
eyes, they will do as well as any other
part.
And he suggested few methods of
DISCUSSES. TO make an eye look OBJ
liquefy short line with brown running
down at the outside and up at the inside
corner of the eye is drawn. To enlarge
an eye brown line is drawn along the
upper eyelid. To counterfeit eyes that
have been weeping rose color is used;
for the expression OF grief light gray
(antimony). Eyebrows that begin near
the root of the nose and slant upward
impart the cumming, diabolicaI express
sion of Mephistopheles. A strong black
dot at the inside corner of the eye
heightens this effect. The eye of a
mailman is represented by a red line
under the eye, also by reddening the
space between the upper eyelid and
brow.
Sternness Such as Is Desirable
in Shyiock, may be acquired instantly in
drawing two vertical lines between the
eyes. By far the best advice was that
color of the brow should ALWAYS be
darker than the hair; and the color of
the hair darker than that of the beard or
mustaehe.
You see, all that is needed to ac-
Quire the principles of this act is TO
watch stage by stage the work of facial
transformation that any competent
actor accomplishes in an elaborate char
acter role as, for instance, Shvlock.'
Henry Irving's face is less suitable
for entire changes than that of most
actors, as he has very strongly marked
features. He is never able to disguise
himself completely; he nevertheless dis
plays marvellous skill and, of course.
lots of intelligence and true artistic feel
ing in every one of his parts. Whoever
has seen him in the last act of 'Louis
H." must necessarily be greatly i'm
pressed by lrving's talent for making
up.
He had now come to the drawing of
wrinkles. The two between the eye
browS, as mentioned above, and two
from the nostrilS to the corners of the
mouth were necessary. To counterpart
exactly natural wrinkle he first drew
sharp lines with brown pencil, then
rubbed 1t into the complexion, pow
dered it with miniature puff, and la
bored on it until it looked more like
shadow than line.
Wrinkles Can Only Sc Drawn
where the face suggests wrinkles, other
wise the makeup turns into caricature.
The whole secret of making up consists
i'll knowing what to leave out. A few
dots and lines with red or black at the
eyebrows, nostrilS or corners of the
mouth are sufficient to change the
whole countenance."
In making up the actor always con-
siders beforehand the size and arrange
ment of illumination of the theater he
is to play in. The lighter the theater
is the more careful he has to be.
"A makeup exactly suited for the
large stage of the Drury Lane would ap-
pear frlghtful daub in the Lyceum,n