River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-03-02
srAeE WIGS ANp COSTUMES.
Actors Owe Much of Their Success TO the
Former,

Former.
C,ns nay hear ie - astszE>s Is SnF
rtSscs- zsa-Ies oi historical play that
49, ssa1r Is admirably made up as Nero
ar d3dihpus Tyrannus or Jusrinianuor
mark Antony. One never hears that he
owes this to his wigs, but he does. His
articles are limited to rouge and lines
drawn with pencil aIl water colors
that the footlights reveal Charles
Fechter attempted revolutions that
seemed enormous. lie painted his face
in oils but its muscles were thus hid
den and made immovable. Their play
was no longer visible. It was the face
of a manilSin. not of an actor. The
real historian IS the wigmaker lie
has grave difficulties. To rcsur-
rect Achilles he knows :he fig-
ures on vases. the excavations
of the Troad. the researches Of Sehlie-
mann. the Greek warrior found entire
la his armor. Yet his hero must re-
semble at once the veritable son Of
ThetiS. the conventional parsonage ere
ated by Racine and the spectators who
look at him. lie has infinitely more
merit and receives much less credit
than the cOstumer. Theatrical COS
tunes are conventional Take To the
performance of a play. the time Of
which IS the reign of Louis MIL. to
"Richelieur or the "rhree Guards
men" for example. the engravinrs of
4 braham Bosse. and compare Once,
at the Theater lIistorique. in play by
Dumas. Catherine de 5Iedicis appeared
with the colossal ruffied collar that she
really wore. The spectators laughed
so derisivelv that costumers have not
since attempted to be faithful, as are
wigmakers
Rachel wore criuoline in the part
of Phegire At the Theater Francois is
is a portrait Of Talma in the part OF
Hamlet. He wears a frock coat of vel
vet and Souvarow boots. Do you think
the art of costuming has since then adj
vanecd? 1t has not; it has only made
change of conventions. and l. con-
forms to the preiuiices of spectators Of
1898 as il yielded to the ideas of specta-
tors Of 1917. The stage, IL create its
illusions, must rely principally on wigs.
Voltairc's head was bare rs step
of pink marble, as billiard ball as q
fencer's foil in the sunlight. In the
superb statue which he has nude of
him Houdon discarded the pompous
wig and replaced it with fine. soft
and silky white lair, hair
which he would have had if
the gods had not been preoccu-
pied with other matters and foreetful.
Houdon acted justly. for the writer of
''Candide' should not be an object Of
derisive laughter among the shades.
Banville often said that one shivered
at the thought that Saint-Beuve might
not have been bald But. the immortal
gods be praised, lie was bald! If he had
not been, perhaps he would not have
worn the black velvet cap which was
part of his physioguo'ny. Its luster
went well with the fame of his eyes.
He transmitted it into rs many figures
as the famous hat OF Taparin. lie
pressed it down on his forehead when
he wished To affirm; he lifted it little
when he wished To follow some ardu-
Gus Thought; he took it off entirely
when he wanted more air and
more light lie threw IL IN the air
when he found that the theologiaus
were not in accord with him on some
indifferent question lie threw it at
fate with all his might. as Luther threw
his inkstand 1T the devil, when some
thing recalled 20 him that he was not a
handsome captain of bussars. This
was his great grievance. lie was intel
ligent enough to be one of the great
writers of the century: strange that he
did not become. since he wished il, a
captain of hussars. wax his mustache.
wear curly wig, tighten his belt and
say that he was handsome! Pardon this
depression. The excuse for it is that it
was a wigmaker who advised Santc-
Beuve to wear cap.-N. Y. Times.