A COVERING FOR THE MOUSTACHE OR HAIRY PARTS OF THE FACE
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Field, of 18, Carlisle Street, Soho Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Hair Dresser and Perfumer, for the Inven-
tion of "A COVERING FOR THE MOUSTACHE OR HAIRY PARTS OF THE
FACE."
Sealed the 5th March 1861, and dated the 13th September 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Field at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th September 1860.
I, EDWARD FIELD, of 18, Carlisle Street, Soho Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Hair Dresser and Perfumer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "A COVERING FOR THE MOUSTACHE OR HAIRY PARTS OF THE
FACE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in forming a covering to be placed over the mous-
tache or hairy part of the face, so that, when eating or drinking, the same
may be protected from any portion of the eatable or drinkable falling upon or
adhering to it. (This cover being by preference made of the same size, shape,
and style, so as to render it but little conspicuous,) though the exact size and
shape and appearance are not obligatory.
This cover may be made of shell, horn, woven fabrics, or paper, or of metal,
gutta percha, india-rubber, or other suitable substance, and it is preferred it

page_text: should be made of the shape and color of the moustache or hair of the wearer,
and is to be fitted with elastic material or springs, so as to cause it to clasp
and keep firm on the face until withdrawn.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Field in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
March 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
FIELD, of 18, Carlisle Street, Soho Square, in the County of Middlesex, Hair
Dresser and Perfumer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Edward Field, Her special licence that I, the said Edward Field, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Field,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A COVERING FOR THE MOUSTACHE OR HAIRY
PARTS OF THE FACE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Field, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Field, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
As hath been heretofore intimated in the Provisional Specification left and
recorded on application for the said Letters Patent, this Invention has regard
to forming a covering to be placed over the moustache or the hairy parts of the
face, so that, although the hair may usually be allowed to cover the mouth

page_text: and form a natural respirator (which will be found very conducive to the pre-
servation of good health, yet, when eating or drinking, the same may be pro
tected from any portion of the eatable or drinkable falling upon or adhering to it,
the chance of which has hitherto deterred very many persons from allowing the
hair to grow over the mouth, as aforesaid. The said cover, being by preference;
made of nearly the same size and style as the moustache or hairy part of the
face to be covered, so as to be little conspicuous, though the following of any
particular size, shape, or style is not at all obligatory.
This cover may be made of shell, horn, leatherwork, ivory, bone, papier
maché, or paper material, gutta percha, india-rubber, thin wood, gold, silver,
or other metallic substance, or any other suitable substance.
The material should be selected with due regard to its correspondence with
the color and appearance of the moustache or hairy part of the face to be
covered, though a material not in itself thus suitable may be prepared and
colored or artistically treated, so as to be rendered suitable. In any case the
cover must be provided with the means of securing and withdrawing it from
the face at pleasure, which I prefer to effect by means of a comb and elastic
cord springs, though other suitable appliances might be adopted so as to cause
it to keep firm on the face till intentionally withdrawn therefrom.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, I now proceed
further to exemplify the same, and to particularly describe and ascertain in
what manner the same is to be performed, which I shall do by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings which are herein referred to.
Drawing Figs. Nos. 1, 2, and 3, shew an arrangement for a moustache
cover (Drawing Fig. No. 2 shewing the inner or comb side). In this arrange-
ment there is a small ring A made fast to the cover marked A', with the elastic
material marked F passed through (as shewn in Drawing Fig. No. 3), and
made fast and brought over the cover at the rosette, colored blue, into the
recess marked B, from thence to the recess marked D, and afterwards to the
fastening recess marked E, when the cover will be ready for immediate use..
Drawing Fig. No. 3ª, section taken at the line W, X, (Drawing Fig. No. 2)
and Drawing Fig. No. 3b; section taken at line Y, Z, (Drawing Fig. No. 2,)
[to fix or release this cover.-Take the cover in the state shewn in Drawing
Fig. No. 1, and place the comb as close as convenient to the upper lip;
then pass the comb (shewn in Drawing Fig. No. 2) into the hair upwards, so
as to collect as much of the hair as possible in the space between this comb
and the cover. After this the user can, by placing the finger on the elastic
cord marked F and pressing it over the cover, make it fall directly to the shape

page_text: of the lip upon the hair collected, as aforesaid, in the space between the comb
and the cover, binding and securing the same against the front of the comb, so
that it may fit firmly to the face till intentionally withdrawn therefrom, and
thus may be used with the greatest security. When the cover is no longer
required, it may be removed by releasing the stud marked G from the recess
marked E, and the whole can be taken off without difficulty, and the comb be
used to comb the moustache into form again.
Drawing Fig. No. 4. Here the two ends of the cover are marked A and B,
having two recesses E, E, with the elastic cord F made fast to the parts C, D,
with a centre stud or catch E', whereby a small chain E' may be connected to
the elastic cord marked F, there being a notch about the middle of the cover
to receive the small chain aforesaid when it is in use. To prepare this for use
the stud and chain must be taken out of the middle notch, the elastic cord
being passed into the recesses E, E, and in front of the cover, and when the
cover is to be put on, the elastic cord is pressed over the front of the cover on to
the hair, and will act against the hair and comb (there being a comb attached
to this cover, as in the arrangement shewn by Drawings Fig. Nos. 1 and 2)
and secure the cover to the face of the wearer. The cross sectional views of
this arrangement of cover will be somewhat similar to those shewn by Drawings
Figs. Nos. 3ª and 3b.
Drawing Fig. No. 5 shews another cover with the comb in the inside. In
this case the cover is not provided with the elastic cord and its appliances, as
in the cases just described, but it has a handle marked H, the front of the"
cover being marked A', the upright or nearly upright lines denoting the teeth
of the comb. It is obvious that the user will have to take hold of the handle
with one hand (the left being that for which that shewn in the Drawing is
intended), and that he must, as in the former cases, press the comb upwards
into the hair, and having done this he will have to keep hold of the handle
and hold the cover on while it is in use; the object of this arrangement being to
provide a cover which can be put on and taken off without trouble, when it is
to be used for a very brief period, as in drinking wine, taking soup, &c. It
will be seen that the handle of this cover is secured by a knife joint, which will
allow of its being folded back, so as to pack into a small space.
As another arrangement, instead of having the elastic cord and its appli-
ances or a handle, a small coiled spring which is attached to the cover by two
pieces of joint tubing may be used, the said spring being coiled around a piece
of wire bent to the shape of the cover, as thus
www the ends
to be made fast, when a spring is formed that will act against the hair in front

page_text: of the comb, like as the elastic cord does. The stud in the middle being the
same as that represented in Drawing Fig. No. 4.
Drawing Fig. Nos. 6 and 7 shew another arrangement for securing the
cover to the hair, A and B shewing two slots or grooves at the extreme ends
of cover marked A¹; at C, D, are two recesses; E, F, are the orifices through
which the elastic cord passes, the same being made fast to the holders or studs
G, G. To prepare this cover for use, the elastic cord F must be pushed over
in front, as shewn, as shewn in Drawing Fig. No. 6, and passed into the
recesses, and then the cover is to be put on by passing the comb into the hair
upwards, as in other cases, when the elastic must be pushed over the top on to
the hair collected between the comb and cover, when the ends of the elastic
cord must be brought into the slits or orifices A, B, when the cover will
become firmly secured to the face of the wearer. The appearance of it being
that shewn at Drawing Fig. No. 7.
Drawing Fig. No. 8 shews a folding cover that may be applied to the said
Invention, as hereafter named. In this case the cover is in two parts, a and b,
the part a of the cover being that the comb is connected to, the outside forming
a recess for the silk to fold into, the top part or spring having the shape of the
upper lip. When released the two spiral springs or hinges cause the two springs
to act against the upper lip. D is the comb, and e a catch, that falls into a
small stud marked f, that will keep the silk closed when it is being applied to
the lip. When the comb is fast under the hair, release the catch, it then
allows the silk to form the shape of the moustache and become firmly secured
to the hair.
sewn on.
The dots shew the orifices through which the silk will be
The folding moustache cover may be made in several ways, for instance, of
metal for the top and shell for the bottom, with silk for the covering; or I use
spiral springs, flat springs, and spring hinges; or I use a lever that will raise
the top of the folding cover, so as to keep it in the required position; or I
make it of elastic materials, and instead of silk other materials may be used.
Drawing Fig. No. 9 shews a cover treated so as to have as far as may be
the appearance of the natural moustache, the cover being in other respects the
same as before described.
If any other hairy part of the face than the moustache should be desired to
be covered, a cover similar to those described for the moustache might be
adopted, suitably modified, for instance, for the part under the lips the comb
might be passed through from above the hair and the elastic from beneath,
that is, just the reverse action to the moustache cover.

page_text: It is evident that different methods of securing the cover to the face than
those shewn and described may be adopted, the same being those I have found
efficient for the purpose. It will also be seen that the moustache cover might
even be made all of one piece with the comb, partially covering the moustache
only, although I do not recommend this.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not claim the detail parts
shewn and described if taken per se and apart from the purposes and intentions
hereof; but I claim the production of a cover for the moustache or hairy parts
of the face, of whatever material, form, or style the same may be made.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Field, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
EDWARD FIELD. (L.S.)
Signed and sealed in my presence,
F. W. CAMPIN, Patent Agent,
156, Strand.