The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1894-12-28
HOW ACTORS MAKE UP.
Changes Of Aspect and Countenan nee p,
-. II lluCed by Yarinua Mennk

Changes OF Aspect and COHntenance Pro-
.y.;s,I r. duced by Various Means. .
Making UP for the stage, like scene
painting is an art in itself and requires
long experience and an artistic eye, says
Marion Il. Clark in the Philadelphia
Times Few of those who make the en-
deav0r ever succeed in accomplishing the
art, because it demands special require
ments. Not many years ago, all that was
considered necessary to the makeup of
an dctOr was burnt cork, n piece OF
white chalk and pot Of rouge. But this
simple kit of tools will not answer for an
amateur, to say nothing Of the profess.
al. Every actor OF fine grace has his
makeup box or dressing case, containing
u costly collection of materials such as vio-
let powder. Fuller's earth, chrome yellow,
blue, crayOns, lumber, cosmetics, black
enamel, pointing paste, hare's foot and
many other tools of the profession as aids
in deceivl ing the eye of the audience. All
of these have purpose all their OVID If
the actor is to represent the hunted villain
in the woods, for instance, he must rub
his cheeks and chin with thick blue pow
der and do it thoroughly at that. to give
the impression that he has not been
shaved for Il month of Sundays. If the
actress is about to make up for an old
crOne or witch, she will trace a few blue
streaks Oh arm and hand to suggest the
well-marked veins of old age: she will
mark her brow with wrinkles and by her
art in making up, change beautiful face
perhaps, to that of an aged and unpre-
possessing person. Ii an actor of uncer-
tain age is making up for a youthful per-
son, he will first whiten his face thorough
ly, rouge we'll the eyelids and cheeks and
draw little brown streak under the
eyes which lends brilliancy, to the eye.
After all of these astonishing make-ups
you may wonder that the actor can give
his attention to the lines of the play.
You will admit that he has much to do to
look after his facial adOrnments and re-
sist the strong temptation to search the
stage over for Il mirror i'll which to see if
the makeup is all there. Fancy the
overburdencd actor in all the fullness of
his completeness, his cotton or wooden
brows and whiskcrs well glued to him.
his black enameled teeth possessed of Il
retiring disposition, his cheeks plastered
with rouge, white and lumber: his bald
wig plastered to his forehead with point
ing paste, rouge thoroughly plastered
under his eyes so as to do away with the
ghostlike appearance which the fOotlights
always give, and you may cOnscientiously
wonder how he can find time and ease to
utter his lines with any effect. Add to
this burden for him to carry the glitter
"
other disturbing influences upon the stage
behind the scenes, and is it any wonder
that in Il new play he sometimes becomes
dazed and forgets his words? But the
makeup with paint and powder does not
stop with the face, for it frequently hap
pens that the hands and arms rSquir,.
artistic work bestowed upon them as well
and as particular in all details as the
countenance. An old man must give
close attention to the makeup of his
hands to give them the appearance of age,
and old women, witches and the like char
acters will not be complete unless arms;
and hands are finished up in antique
style. Then there are other characters
which require close attention to the make
up of the hands if the proper effect is to
be produced. If you ever had the pleas
ure of witnessing the Edmund Dantes,
of Mr.. James w. Wailack in Monte.
Cristo," you surely noticed particularly
his speaking hands," made up to at
test their attenuation from long confne-
ment and starvation in the prison of the
showed with such thrilling effect the con-
dition of the man as his hands, which he
made an important part of his perform
ance. 1t showed a particularly of detail
and his hands always made Il hit for this
great actor whenever he played this part.
which was one of his greatest
A speaking face was that of the great
est American pantomimiSt and clown.
''Humpty Dumpty" Fox. With Il chalkeG
face, blank as whitewashed wall and
without a line upon it, George Fox put
into it more expression than many actors
ever could BY the use of everything in
their makeup boxes Grief, joy. surprise.
anger and yrollicking- hiiarity we're thor
oughly expressed by him in his counten-
ance, to the complete surprise of his au-
diences. 1t was the finished work of an
artist and will always be remembered
When a man, with a single tool can do
as much, if not more, than another with
a whole kit of TOOLS we recognize him as
an artist and wonder what he might ac-
complish with lot Of useful things made
expressly to assist him in his work