I lie
M&ke-
PORTRAIT BIOGRAPHIES
HENRY IRVING
BY MORTIMER MENPES
Containing 8 delicate pencil and tint
portraits. Foolscap 8vo, cloth, gilt top.
Price 2s. net.
(Post free, price 2s. 3d.)
" Mr. Mortimer Menpes has produced a little
book entitled 'Henry Irving,' which is as
dainty and graceful as could be imagined.
. . . It is a gossipy little appreciation of the
great actor, enlivened by some excellent
stories, and embellished with twelve portraits
in colour from the brush of the artist-author.
Artistically ' got up," admirably printed, and
unconventionally arranged, it is an addition
to ' Irvingana ' which none of the admirers of
'the chief would willingly have absent from
their shelves," Standard.
A. AND C. BLACK, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.
THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
AGENTS
AMEBICA. . . THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
64 & 66 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK
AUSTRALASIA. . THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.
205 FLINDERS LANE, MELBOURNE
CANADA .... THE MACMILLAN COMPANY OF CANADA, LTD.
27 RICHMOND STREET WEST, TORONTO
INDIA . . . . MACMILLAN & COMPANY. LTD.
MACMILLAN BUILDING, BOMBAY
309 Bow BAZAAR STREET, CALCUTTA
THE ART OF
THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
BY
CAVENDISH MORTON
ILLUSTRATED WITH THIRTY-TWO REPRODUCTIONS
FROM PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE AUTHOR BY HIMSELF
LONDON
ADAM AND CHARLES BLACK
1909
TA/
REPRODUCED AND PRINTED BY
BALLANTYNE AND CO. LTD., TAVISTOCK STREET, LONDON, W.C.
PREFACE
LOOKING back on the method of production of
this book, it seems to me not to have been so
much a matter of toil as a natural growth. It
seems to have produced itself, for my earliest photo-
graphs were taken as records of the different characters
that I played. These studies, as they were published from
time to time in the Sketch, Tatkr, Playgoer, and other
papers, aroused a certain amount of interest.
Frequent requests from brother actors for me to help
them with their make-ups convinced me that my instruc-
tion was desired.
As the material accumulated, I constantly heard the
suggestion reiterated, " Make a book of it."
A profound interest in psychology, physiognomy, or
characterisation, the art of the stage, and photography,
has enabled me to study the subject from different stand-
points, and to gain an entirely individual impression of it.
Many years spent on the stage in, among others,
vi PREFACE
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's, Mr. Forbes Robertson's, and
Sir Charles Wyndham's companies, the privilege of watching
Sir Henry Irving, Sir Herbert, Charles Warner, Franklin
McLeay, and M. de Max making up, and, in some instances,
hearing their methods of work explained, has supplemented
the knowledge gained by my own experience.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAOE
I. THE ART OF THE STAGE 1
II. ON DESIGNING THE CHARACTER 4
III. THE ILLUSTRATIONS 8
IV. THE MATERIAL 12
V. ON APPLYING THE MATERIAL 16
VI. FORM 19
VII. PREPARING TO MAKE UP 22
VIII. ON REMOVING THE MAKE-UP 26
IX. IN CONCLUSION 28
ILLUSTRATIONS (For list see page ix) 30
vii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE AUTHOR
PA<iK
KING LEAR 35
KING LEAR (progressive pictures) 38
DON QUIXOTE 41
DON QUIXOTE (progressive pictures) 44
FALSTAFF 47
FALSTAFF (progressive pictures) 50
SHYLOCK 53
SHYLOCK (progressive pictures) 56
HAMLET 60
HAMLET 6l
IAGO 66
OTHELLO 67
BOTTOM THE WEAVER 77
PIERROT 80
ROMEO 83
THE APOTHECARY IN " ROMEO AND JULIET " 89
THE APOTHECARY (head study) 92
THE THREE WITCHES IN " MACBETH " 95
UNCLE TOM 98
ST. DUNSTAN 101
ix
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
FLEURY 104
THE PROFESSOR 109
THE SOUL STRUGGLE 112
SIR THOMAS MORE (Holbein picture) 118
SIR THOMAS MORE 119
SIR THOMAS MORE IN HIS GARDEN AT CHELSEA 124
SIR THOMAS MORE BIDDING FAREWELL TO HIS FAVOURITE
DAUGHTER 1 25
NAPOLEON 1 29
FALSE BEARDS (twelve progressive pictures) 132, 133, and 136
CHAPTER I
THE ART OF THE STAGE
HOW ephemeral is this art of the stage, how
evanescent. Words quickened by the voices of the
actors tremble for a moment in the sympathetic
atmosphere of the theatre and are then engulfed in silence.
This in its turn gives way to newly spoken words. Out
of the illustrative gestures and actions of the players are
pictures formed which each new phase of the unfolding
of the play destroys. Joy gives place to grief, and grief
to joy, gentleness to rage, and love to hate.
The passions wax and wane. The scenes fade even as
the lantern pictures vanish from the white screen. The
curtain rustles down, severing those bonds of sympathy
that the play has forged. Actors and audience turn away
to pick up the links in their own particular chains of
destiny.
How ephemeral, how evanescent.
Yet that universal law of compensation yields its
recompense : for no art is more enduring in its influence.
Most men are so profoundly impressed by the drama
that the recollection of a performance will abide for years ;
2 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
indeed some are so sensitive to its effect that their whole
lives are coloured or are even changed by the sensation
created by one fine bit of acting.
That the art of the theatre should be so persuasive is
in no way strange, for it makes a joint appeal through the
portals of two senses simultaneously. The eye and ear
alike are charmed.
In this joint appeal lies the very essence of the
theatrical. The actor by the heat of his passions fuses
picture and poem.
Dumb poetry and petrified graphic art come to life.
Like an electrode the actor stands collecting the
currents of dramatic beauty that pervade the world,
and discharges them into the tense atmosphere of the
theatre.
It is the players duty not only to lend life to the part
that he plays, he should present the character in such a
way that the spirit of each member of his audience moves
in accord with it. If his appeal is strong it will weld the
minds of his individual spectators into a kind of composite
intelligence.
I once saw a concave reflector made of small pieces of
flat looking glass. These tiny mirrors multiplied the light
placed in front a thousandfold.
To the actor a well-crowded theatre should seem just
such a reflection. In the mind of each member of his
audience, should he, as in a glass, be mirrored.
This unanimity of emotion is brought about by present-
ing certain physical and mental facts relative to character
THE ART OF THE STAGE 3
in such a way that they may be grasped by a number of
variously constituted people.
A play is woven of a warp-like plot running from be-
ginning to end of the composition, constituting its chief
strength ; and woof-like characterisations which wend their
way in and out through the plot binding it together and
filling in gaps with the subsidiary interest of nicely con-
trasted types.
The character as it leaves the playwright's hand is a
broadly outlined drawing. The subtleties of manner and
expression and those slight but significant inflections of
voice are the creation of the actor. He vitalises the lines
with his spirit.
I have often thought that the appeal to the brain
through the sense of seeing is stronger than that through
the sense of hearing. I have been brought to this conclu-
sion by the fact that people are deeply moved by the
contemplation of a play in a language that they are totally
ignorant of, or by the dumb show of a pantomime.
Is not half the battle won when one perfectly physically
realises the character to be impersonated ?
To assist in this half of the conflict this book was
written.
CHAPTER II
ON DESIGNING THE CHARACTER
LET us suppose that you have read the play, you
know what the plot is about, and the part has been
given to you to study. Perhaps the author describes
the peculiarities of the character, or it is traditional to make
up for the part in a given way. Failing help in either of
these directions you must rely upon your own imagination.
Read the part through, trying to think of the character
as distinct from yourself. Pretend that you are listening
to the words spoken by another. Decide what kind of
a man would say such words and behave in such a manner.
What are his moral and mental characteristics ?
Visualise him, think of him not as an element of the
play but as one who on his journey through life has been
accidentally involved in the dramatic conflict. Get
acquainted with him, try to know something of his past
life, for time and experience will have left their marks upon
him.
This fiction once designed, the next task is to see how
it will fit.
Study yourself with a view to finding out what traits you
4
ON DESIGNING THE CHARACTER 5
have in common with the character. Note the qualities that
must be accentuated and those that must be subdued.
Alter the character of your face by changing the ex-
pression of your mouth and eyes.
Always remember that as little paint should be used
as possible, for though it is easy to disguise by a thick
mask of pigment, the heavier the make-up the more
difficult it is to convey sensitive emotional variations by
the changing expression of the face.
If it is possible to arrange your own hair in a way
suitable to the character so much the better, for though
it may in no way seem more real than a wig it will prove
infinitely more comfortable.
I remember before M. de Max played 1'Aiglon, he
stayed in the house for weeks while his dark locks were
slowly dyed a brilliant red. On the night following the
production he told me disgustedly that people had criti-
cised his wig.
When you look as much like the part as you possibly
can without the aid of artificial disguise, begin to apply
nose paste, paint and powder. Obliterate one characteristic
and accentuate another. Alter the shape of your nose,
paint your eyebrows out and redraw them, altering their
form. Change the colour of the skin. Cover eyelashes
and lips with paint and note the difference. Put shadows
round the eyes, sinister lines running from the nostrils.
Wrinkle your face, and where the lines would naturally
come apply the paint. Add a roughly shaped beard or
moustache of crepe hair if the character demands it.
6 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
Stand at a distance from the mirror, study the result.
This work is similar to that of the painter when he makes
preliminary sketches, it helps to get one's ideas into a
concrete form.
It should be done over and over again until the character
is perfectly developed.
If a wig is required, discuss it with the best wig-
maker that you can find. Should you be able to draw
supply him with a rough sketch. Failing this you will
probably be able to find an illustration or an engraving
which, though it may not be exactly what you want, will
help you to explain your idea.
I have made a large collection of different engravings
of interesting types, and the work of the old caricaturists
I have found very suggestive.
Visit the wig-maker two or three times before the wig
is completed, it will then be made under your direct
supervision and will probably be more successful in every
way.
Remember that the character of a face depends on
three elemental qualities, form, colour and expression.
The first two are almost constant, the third is susceptible
to perpetual change.
The grave, the gay, the ascetic, the debauched, the
aesthetic, the philistine, the spiritual and the material, each
will have his distinguishing colour and form. The ex-
pression will depend much on the various moods portrayed
during the action of the play.
Make the characterisation as definite as possible, for the
ON DESIGNING THE CHARACTER 7
size of the stage demands a certain breadth of treatment.
Do not forget the distant patron of the pit and gallery,
for though his monetary contribution is humble he atones
for this by the warmth of his enthusiasm.
If the result of these preliminary efforts seem dis-
couraging, remember a good wig and suitable costume
will help materially.
CHAPTER III
THE ILLUSTRATIONS
IN making all the pictures in the book studies of my
own head I was actuated by a number of reasons.
The first and most important of which was the possi-
bility of showing what a wide variety of distinctive types
could be realised with the help of make-up by one man.
If the book had been illustrated by a number of pictures
of various actors, the student would have had to make in
each instance certain allowances for the individuality of
each performer.
My desire was to present only one face under different
disguises.
I was also influenced by the fact that my own face was
the one that was ever nearest to my hand the one I was
most familiar with, and also the one that I could take the
greatest number of liberties with.
Another reason was, that as the photographer who was
to produce the prints, I could always depend upon the
attendance of the model. I was sure that I could always
induce myself to patiently pose before my own camera.
The taking of the photographs has been fraught with
8
THE ILLUSTRATIONS 9
considerable difficulty. The playing of the dual role of
actor and photographer seems to have cultivated two dis-
tinct personalities personalities who I am sure felt the
liveliest interest one for the other; in fact nothing ever
came between us but the camera.
I am moved less by pride than by a desire for sympathy
when I say that single-handed I did every detail of the work.
Sometimes it was necessary to photograph one character
nine times over before a suitable negative was obtained.
Can you imagine the feelings of Othello or King Lear
who, after having worked up to the most intense moment
of the play, paused rigidly before the camera, that it might
do the worst, then on retiring to the dim ruby light of the
dark room, still made up remember, to wrestle with the
difficulties of development, found that when the negative
was finished it was a failure and would have to be done
again.
I feel a great debt of gratitude to Sir Herbert Beerbohm
Tree, Mr. Charles Warner, Mr. R. G. Knowles, Mr. Carton,
More-Park, and many other actors and painters who have un-
failingly encouraged me with the bounty of their interest and
their expressions of willingness to assist me with the work.
I can best express the admiration I feel for the work
of my friend M. Gustav by calling attention to the
perfection of the wigs that appear in the following
prints. I believe that he has brought wig-making to a
pitch never realised before. Much of the effectiveness of
my impersonations is in no small measure due to his
sympathy and skill.
10 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
I selected for my illustrations, in most cases extreme
types ; sometimes presented in a more or less exaggerated
manner. I felt that thus I might cover a wide area and
make the book the more suggestive.
The student will find but little difficulty in modifying a
character, or if he requires only certain features, in selecting
them. Or he may combine certain peculiarities of one
make-up with the peculiarities of another, and thus produce
an additional type.
Many of the characters slightly modified will prove
valuable as studies for modern personalities.
With the exception of those prints where the make-up
is shown in progressive stages I have striven to exhibit the
character under the stress of one of the most emotional
moments of the play, illuminated in a manner that would
be desirable to its stage presentation.
I have done this because I felt that a character was
essentially a medium of emotional expression, and that
by presenting them in this way the sensitiveness and
flexibility of the characterisation might be better realised.
Or in other words, that the disguise in no way
impaired the ability to show a great variety of facial ex-
pressions.
When I originally contemplated the work I feared that
it would be difficult to get a sufficient number of con-
trasted types to make the book interesting, but I found,
once under way, there was literally no end to the quaint
creatures that clamoured to be noticed. It became a hard
matter to select, and I have only introduced to the public
THE ILLUSTRATIONS 11
a few of the odd personalities I have grown so intimately
acquainted with. Each has been to me a living creature,
who was able to let me see the world from his peculiar
standpoint.
I had such an impulse in the work, that at one time I
felt that I should not be able to rest until I had exhausted
all human creation. Aye, perhaps not even then, but would
have to wend my way through all the animal kingdom, till
I ended up by trying to make myself look like inanimate
things such as icebergs or lumps of coal.
The undertaking has not been altogether free from
pathetic associations. It was done during the period of my
father's last illness, and the pleasure that he derived from
the visit of each new character cheered, I am sure, his last
hours on earth.
CHAPTER IV
THE MATERIAL
WHEN we consider the materials, we realise that
the art of make-up is more or less allied to the
art of the painter ; although the kinship may not
be of a very intimate character. It resembles in many
particulars coloured statuary, with this great difference, that
in the case of the actor the statue is alive.
If the student were to have a bust of himself accurately
modelled by a sculptor and were to apply the various
articles of make-up to it, he would get almost precisely the
same effects that he would get from his own face, minus,
of course, the ability to change its expression.
I have such a bust, and I find that I can do much of
my experimenting upon my dumb counterpart without
either its skin or temper ever resenting the torture. Though
I do not think that many will care to follow my example
in this particular I offer the suggestion as being of some
value.
Among the men who paint pictures you rarely find two
who use exactly similar materials, or work in precisely
similar ways, in fact methods of work and the tools used
12
THE MATERIAL la
depend largely upon individual differences of temperament.
So in the following pages I trust that it may be felt that I
am suggesting in a more or less stimulating way, and that
I am not dogmatising.
If we again compare it with painting we shall find that
we get the most valuable hints from that branch which is
known as the impressionist school.
The enormous size of the proscenium, which is really only
the frame of our canvas, and the distance which is ever
between the spectator and the stage, demand great breadth
of treatment.
I have known an actor to strive for almost the same
delicacy of detail as would be found in a highly finished
portrait, and although the illusion from the front of the
house was not positively wrong, much of his work was never
realised ; in fact with one quarter the effort he could have
produced a result which would have been infinitely more
telling.
Doubtless many who read this book will have had a wide
experience in making up, and will have cultivated pre-
ferences for one selection of materials or another. To
them I submit my method and its results. To the man
who comes to the subject with an absolutely unbiassed
mind, I would suggest that he begin his work with a very
limited range of colours, for in this way he will materially
simplify the problem.
The following is a list of the grease-paints that may be
purchased from any dealer in make-up :
No. 1, lightest flesh colour; Ij, slightly darker; 2, pale;
14 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
2j, medium ; 3, slightly darker ; 3 J, sunburnt ; 4, a ruddy
deep flesh colour ; 5, bright yellow ; 5 J, dark ; 6, darker
yellow ; 7, brown ; 8, Armenian bole ; 9, dark sunburn ;
10, brown; 11, burnt umber; 12, black; 13, reddish
brown; 14, chocolate ; 15, brick red; 16, dark brown; 20,
white ; carmine 1, 2 and 3.
Of these the colours that prove most valuable in my
hands are 2j, 3, 10-13, yellow, white and black, and the
following lining sticks ; light blue, dark blue, yellow, lake
brown, and carmine 2.
I never use any one of these colours in its crude state,
but by blending produce the exact shade that I deem
desirable.
The palm of the left hand proves an admirable palette ;
its heat readily melting the paint.
A draughtsman's stub may be used for putting in the
wrinkles and softening the shadows, but I have found the
most suitable instrument for this work is a small modelling
tool such as is used for modelling in wax. It has one end
slightly curved and then brought to a knife-like edge. It
is not only valuable for applying colours, but enables one
to deftly finish the shaping of nose-paste.
A small quantity of nose-paste, or, what I have found
work better, toupee paste, will be required. A bottle of
spirit gum for applying false beards and moustaches.
Crepe hair of various colours. Powders I mix for myself
that I may get a tint to match any given make-up. The
foundation of this is of a light pink to which I add a
little Armenian bole and yellow. Powders, however, of
THE MATERIAL 15
various hues may be bought which will save the trouble
of mixing. A good powder puff, a box of dry rouge, a
hare's-foot, a pair of scissors and a comb. Vaseline, cold-
cream, cocoa butter, or my preference, olive oil, for removing
the make-up will complete the outfit.
Various elaborate make-up boxes of tin are on the
market, but any small box will answer. The one that always
accompanies me on my travels is an antique case of oak,
and was no doubt used for generations as a receptacle for
jewels. It has but one tray, which has sufficient space
for the reception of the various paints. The lower part is
reserved for crepe hair, powder and the other requisites.
T
CHAPTER V
ON APPLYING THE MATERIAL
HE actual work of making up must fall under
the two headings of Form and Colour. We will
consider first
COLOUR
The colour of a man's skin, or his complexion, may be
indicative of his nationality or race. For example, consider
the distinctive colourings of the English, Italians, Japanese,
Indians, or Africans. It may suggest his age. For youth
has its own peculiar freshness ; the healthy meridian
of life is florid, while pallor comes with old age. We may
also vividly realise temperament from the tint of the skin.
The sad, the morbid, and the mean are usually sallow ;
the happy and generous, brilliantly hued. Trades and
professions also dye their followers to their liking. The
monk is bleached in the cloister, the soldier or sailor is
browned by the sun and wind.
Having decided on the complexion that will be cha-
racteristic of a given part, we mix and apply the paint.
16
ON APPLYING THE MATERIAL 17
Are we to present an English soldier back from a foreign
campaign No. 3 grease-paint, mixed with a little 13, will
yield exactly the sunburnt hue that we desire. We must
remember though that the upper part of the forehead has
been protected from the sun's rays by his helmet, and so a
distinct line of light flesh will remain. No. 2 will do for
this.
A mixture of 2J, yellow and a little brown will provide
suitable pallidness. Such as we might imagine would be
characteristic of the miser.
We cover the face with No. 3, and then deepening the
hue of some more No. 3 on our palm with a little lake
and carmine, and working this over the face in fleck-like
blotches, we shall obtain the floridness of the man who
drinks, or perhaps even eats too much.
I give these few examples to show the importance of
first deciding what the actual complexion of the character
shall be. This paint, which is spread all over the face
is called the groundwork.
By a suitable application of colour, in the way of
shadows and of high lights, we can give the illusion of a
different form of feature or of face.
Let it always be remembered that the shadow is almost
invariably of a similar colour to the rest of the face, only
darker. This darkening may be done with brown, lake,
or blue. For example, if the prevailing tone of the skin
is 2J mixed with yellow and a brown, the same mixture
with considerably more brown added to it will give us
exactly the pigment we require for the shadows and
18 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
wrinkles, remembering always that the depth of the
wrinkles will be darkest. The same mixture, lightened
with additional yellow and white until it is very pale
indeed, will give the high lights.
The shadows round the eyes of the sickly and in their
sunken cheeks will be bluish. A little lake and blue mixed
with the groundwork will do for this.
Always strive to keep the colouring as light and bril-
liant as possible; only thus may a dirty appearance be
avoided.
Finish up the make-up with plenty of powder of a
colour that suits that of the groundwork.
CHAPTER VI
FORM
THE variation of form that may be suggested by
painted high lights and shadows is effective
enough when the full face is observed. For in-
stance an almost white line on the bridge of the nose seems
to give this feature additional prominence when the actor
looks directly toward you, but on getting a view of his
profile this illusion disappears, in fact the true shape of the
nose is realised.
If it is desirable to really alter the shape of a feature, a
face, or even the entire head, another method must be used.
The simplest and most popular is the application of
nose paste, or what I personally prefer toupee paste. A
sufficient quantity of this material is taken and kneaded
into a soft mass. To do this it is sometimes necessary to
warm it slightly. It is formed roughly into the shape
desired and then stuck to the skin. Some make its adhesion
more certain by applying a small quantity of spirit gum
to the skin first. I have found it better to melt the surface
of the paste in the heat of a candle before placing it into
position. When the paste has adhered to the skin a little
19
20 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
grease applied to it with the fingers will facilitate the
subsequent shaping. The modelling should be carefully
finished with the fingers and a modelling tool until no
juncture is observable. In fact it should seem to be part
of the face. Plenty of groundwork spread all over the
actual flesh and the parts that have been built out brings
the whole face into accord.
The nose paste can be used for altering the shape of
the nose either by making the bridge more prominent, the
end longer, and this increase in its length may be made in
any direction either up or down. The nostrils fuller, in
fact, the whole nose may be covered, and its shape and size
entirely changed.
In a similar way the prominence of the forehead and of
the cheek bones may be built out and additions may also
be made to the chin.
It is well to remember that all such distinctive features
are due to the shape of the underlying bony structure of
the skull, and when we desire to alter the shape we must
do it in such a way that all the laws of anatomy are not
ignored.
The paste may also be used for imitating unpleasant
growths such as warts and moles.
The entire outline of the head may be altered by the
shape of the wig. On deciding what this alteration shall
be it is simplest to think of it as having roughly a geo-
metrical form. A head may be round, square, or oblong,
and this distinctive form is noticeable when either the full
face or profile is observed.
FORM 21
When ordering the wig even a very rough sketch will
prove of great assistance to the wig-maker.
The beard is also a great help in changing the shape of
the face. The chin may be strengthened or modified by a
suitable arrangement of the hair.
A great double chin of padded silk is sometimes worn
round the neck, but this is only convincing when the chin
is slightly bearded.
The foregoing alterations have almost all been in the
shape of additions to the features. We will now consider
how modifications may be made.
The first time that I played the part of a negro I found
that I should not be able to imitate the flattened nose of
the race unless I used some method to depress my own
very prominent organ. I found that by holding the tip of
my nose down with my finger I very nearly got the illusion
I required. I next took a piece of strong sewing silk, and
first protecting the skin of my nose with a piece of kid,
passed the silk over this, and tying this at the back of my
head got exactly what I required. Then building the
nostrils out with nose paste and covering it all with dark
grease paint I look sufficiently negroid to deceive a native.
The nose may be given a very decided upward tilt by
passing a similar thread under the end of it. This thread is
then joined to the upper part of the wig.
At a short distance these threads are not noticeable.
CHAPTER VII
PREPARING THE MAKE-UP
IN adopting the following method in preparing to make-
up, I have been actuated by a desire to preserve the
health of my body, and as far as possible the whole-
someness of my skin.
Acting is sometimes such violent physical exercise that
precautions should be taken against catching cold. There-
fore on entering my dressing-room I change my under-
clothing.
I next put on tights or any lower garment that part
demands. To free the face from any dust that might be
rubbed into the pores by the process of making-up I wash
with pure Castile soap and warm water. Then thoroughly
dry the skin with a soft towel.
While making-up I wear a cotton dressing-gown.
My dressing-table has a large mirror flanked by two elec-
tric lights. On this table the grease paints, wig and other
materials that I require for a given make-up are arranged.
First a little oil is thoroughly rubbed into the skin
filling the pores and keeping them from being clogged
with the paint.
PREPARING THE MAKE-UP 23
I next build up with nose-paste any features that require
additional relief. Then the face, neck and ears are covered
with a thin layer of 2j grease paint. This is done that
all inequalities of colour may be eliminated, and enables
one to subsequently get a smooth, clean groundwork, no
matter what colour is desired.
1 put on my wig, taking care that the join is in-
visibly blended. The face, neck and ears are then covered
with a suitable groundwork that I mix on the palm
of my hand. The broad shadows are next introduced,
such as sunken cheeks, temples, and shadows round the
eyes.
The accentuation, with smaller shadows, of the mouth
and eyes is the next work. Wrinkles are added, care being
taken that they are placed at places that nature would
select. This may be discovered by actually wrinkling the
face and observing where the lines fall. High lights are
then applied.
If a beard or moustache is to be worn, carefully remove
the paint with a clean towel from the part that will be
covered by the false hair and apply a little spirit gum to
the clean skin. Adjust the beard and hold it until it
adheres thoroughly. Always blend the beard with the
cheeks with loosely-combed crepe hair as this will help the
naturalness of the appearance. Powder the face. The
eyelashes are darkened by drawing a thin line along the
edges of the lids. This I do with an orange stick dipped
in melted paint. The eyebrows are then drawn in. The
make-up is finished by colouring the lips.
24 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE-UP
I occasionally walk back from the mirror that I may
get an impression such as a distant spectator might
receive.
The hands and arms are made up if the character
demands it.
The dressing is completed and I step in front of a full-
length mirror for a final inspection prior to going upon the
stage.
What the precise impression is that I make upon my
audience I cannot say, I only know that in many character
parts I have been unable to recognise myself.
The time that it takes to make-up must of course vary
with the complexity of the characterisation. At dress-
rehearsals when I make-up for character for the first time
I allow myself one hour and a half, but this when I get
more experienced with the part is sometimes reduced to
half an hour. The hurry that this necessitates is nerve-
racking both for actor and dresser and becomes a race with
the call-boy. " Half an hour please," he shouts, his
voice echoing up the stairs. Then you begin to work
furiously. When what seems only a few minutes gone by,
his second warning, "A quarter of an hour, please," is
heard. Then you increase your speed. When the boy
calls " Overture," if you are not almost dressed you tell
your dresser with more decision than taste that you know
that you will be off. " First-act beginners " means a
bad-tempered rush for the stage, and the struggle with
final buttons on your way. Once upon the stage you
PREPARING THE MAKE-UP 25
almost invariably find that you have a few minutes in
which to regain your breath. Then, warmed by the glare
of the footlights, you forget that you have ever hurried in
your life. In fact, if you are a good actor you forget
everything but the part you play.
CHAPTER VIII
ON REMOVING THE MAKE-UP
AT the conclusion of the play you retire to your
dressing-room, flushed, I hope, with success.
To resume your real self is a matter of little
difficulty, and yet it may be helpful to have a method
suggested.
Begin by removing parts of the clothing, as it unques-
tionably would be soiled in the dirty process of removing
the make-up.
First take off the wig, next the moustache, then the
beard ; carefully remove the false nose, or any other
modelling in relief, for if they are preserved with care
they may be used repeatedly. Next, with a small quan-
tity of oil, or any other grease that may be preferred,
soften the grease-paint slightly and remove it with
a towel. This first cleansing will only remove part
of the colour, in fact, the treatment with oil must be
repeated two or three times before every trace of paint
has disappeared. When this has been achieved, wash
thoroughly with warm water and pure Castile soap ; dry
ON REMOVING THE MAKE-UP 27
the face, taking care that every vestige of paint has been
removed.
If the weather is cold, a little cold cream rubbed
into the skin, which is then slightly powdered, will
protect it.
CHAPTER IX
IN CONCLUSION
PERHAPS no other calling is as fascinating as
that of the stage. Are we not happiest when
we are least mindful of ourselves, and does not
absolute self-forgetfulness come with a complete realisation
of a personality that is foreign to us ? Plus this is the
pleasure to be derived from the knowledge of the strength
possessed which enables the swaying of multitudes by
sympathy.
To the born actor his art is a delightful pastime.
All his observations of art and life augment his knowledge
of character and his ability to portray emotion.
The less gifted should study perpetually. The world
is full of odd volumes in strange and interesting bindings.
To the student of make-up the binding is of no less interest
than the matter within.
Try to store vivid recollections of the distinctive types ;
collect caricatures and prints ; they will be most suggestive
and helpful.
If you possess even only a slight talent for drawing,
cultivate it assiduously, for it is obvious that the actor who
IN CONCLUSION 29
can draw will be able to make-up better than the one who
cannot.
Visit picture galleries and turn them into museums of
types. I know of no other gallery that interests me so
much as the National Portrait Gallery. When I am in
London I try to visit it at least once a week. There 1
realise what each one of a legion of distinguished men
looked like.
If a play revives some period of history, try to see some
of the pictures of the greatest painters of that day, or at
least get reproductions of their work. Perhaps the very
man that you require is standing in some dim canvas only
waiting for you to make him live again.
Remember that each period of history had its distinctive
types. Think of the people of Gainsborough, of Velasquez,
the portraits of Holbein and of Diirer.
If you are to present a man of an alien race, try and
give him his national peculiarities without offering his
country the insult of burlesquing them. I think it is a
sign of decadence of our stage that we strive to heap
ridicule on almost every type that is not a product of
our own land.
If any of the dark races are to be presented, such as
Africans, Red Indians, or Japanese, trustworthy photo-
graphs may be bought which will prove an admirable guide.
If you are to portray a well-known historical character,
read everything you can about the man. Perhaps you
will have the fortune to come across a detailed description
by one of his intimate friends.
30 THE ART OF THEATRICAL MAKE
If the man you represent follows any particular trade
or calling, try to get acquainted with some such men.
Take, for example, a foundry hand. Get permission to
visit a foundry ; go there several times, till the significance
of the work is borne home to you. You will eventually
realise not only what the men look like, but the way
they feel, and will be able to suggest the way in which
they toil. Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor
man, beggarman, thief. What a drama of characterisation
the line conveys ; each is stamped with his trade or
condition.
Go again and again to life ; let your body and brain
reflect it. Make your types actual.
A Parliament, a Court, a ward of a hospital, with its
quiet doctor going from bed to bed. The deck of the
steamer, the interior of a bus they each become a school
where valuable lessons may be learnt.
Unless you suffer from very definite physical or vocal
limitations, strive not to get grooved in your work. Do
not repeat yourself over and over again in each new part
that you play.
Remember that the number of types in the world is
infinite; that the playwright is always striving to present
to the public some new character.
Ever add to your knowledge, and recollect that work is
life's great recompense. Thank God your toil is endless.
ILLUSTRATIONS
KING LEAR
BLOW, winds, and crack your cheeks ! rage ! blow !
You cataracts, and hurricanoes, spout
Till you have drenched our steeples, drown'd the cocks !
You sulphurous and thought-executing fi
Vaunt couriers to oak-cleaving thunder-bolts,
Singe my white head ! And thou, all shaking thunder,
Strike flat the thick rotundity o" 1 the world !
Crack nature's moulds, all germes spill at once
That make ingrateful man !
33
KING LEAR
Tins old man torn to rags by a tempest of emotion, on the ultimate
boundary of life, is obviously diflieult to portray ; tenden^s and rage,
madness and dignity, must all he shown. He is pent, baffled, and
buffeted by things physical and mental for a while. Then tin-re is the
hurried decay of body and of brain.
In Fig. 1 observe that the nose has been slightly built up. This
is done to give added dignity to the face. For the great weight of
beard and hair would tend to make the nose look smaller than it really
is. After the nose has been built up the wig i.s put on that the position
of the join may be indicated, also what parts of the natural hair must
be treated with white paint. The groundwork is laid on : this should
be of 2| yellow and a little brown. The shadows round the eyes are of
groundwork mixed with blue. The wrinkles are of groundwork mixed
with additional brown and lake. The temples should be shadowed
with this colour.
Find out where the wrinkles would come by pursing up the face.
Use as many as possible to suggest extreme old age, being always mind-
ful that the intentions of nature are not ignored. Be careful that the
lines on the face are not drawn in too decisive a manner, as at a distance
they seem much stronger than they really are. The modelling tool is
most suitable for the drawing and the subsequent modification of the
wrinkles. It may be also used for applying the more delicate high
lights. Each wrinkle should be accentuated with a light just above it.
Fig. 2 shows the make-up at a stage when it is ready for the addition
of the moustache and beard. Observe the whitened hair just above the
temples. This is done with white grease paint.
Fig. 3 shows the beard in position. A tape goes over the head to
partly support its weight, and it is secured with spirit gum. Note the
blending of the left cheek and beard with crepe hair, also how half the
chin is covered, observe how the character of the face is altered by the
bushy eyebrow. Fig. 4 shows the make-up almost complete and ready
for the wig to be put on. Put the wig on, carefully blending the join.
Accentuate wrinkles and shadows here and there. Powder and treat the
eyelashes with white paint
39
DON QUIXOTE
FANTASTIC to the point of madness, of romantic daring. Simple and
kind ; and above all a nobleman of great dignity.
I have chosen this extreme make-up as a foil to the Falstaff.
Falstaff is a creature of utter coarseness. Quixote as a singularly
imaginative man is one of extraordinary sensitiveness.
The chief effort was to make the face as long and as thin as
possible.
First compare the four progressive prints. See how much longer
the head is in Fig. 4 than in Fig. 1. As the four photographs are
taken to exactly the same scale it is possible to accurately measure
with a draughtsman's compass the additions that have been made to
the chin and forehead. It will be found that the head has been in-
creased by one third.
First the nose is built up with paste. By giving it a very pro-
nounced hook it is decidedly lengthened and thus made to accord
better with the new proportions of the face.
The prominences of the forehead and cheek bones are next
accentuated with nose-paste (Fig. 1).
The wig is placed in position and the forehead made up with a
ground work of 2|-, yellow, and 1 3, a flesh colour that should suggest
parchment. The wig is then removed until the make-up is almost
finished. This keeps it from becoming soiled.
Covering the face with groundwork is the next step. A sunken
appearance is given to the eyes by painting round them with brown.
Shadows are worked into the cheeks. Lines are drawn from the inner
corners of the eyes down on to the cheeks. Similar lines are indicated
at either side of the nose. A broad perpendicular stripe from the nose
to the top of the forehead, and the temples are darkened.
40
41
DON QUIXOTE i >
Yellowish high lights are placed on the forehead at either side of
the central shadow and round fin- temples in such a way that t:
depth is accentuated.
High lights on the cheek bones and above the various wrinkl-s
make the face more vigorous.
The false eyebrows, the moustache and beard are gummed in
position. The beard is blended with loosely combed crepe hair which
is afterward trimmed.
The wig is again put on the shadows and high lights carried up
with the false forehead.
Yellowish powder is next dusted all over the face. Colour similar
to the wig and beard is applied to the eyelashes. The lips are painted
with a colour that should not be too dark.
FALSTAFF
IF I were sawed into quantities, I should make four dozen of such
bearded hermit's staves as Master Shallow. It is a wonderful thing to
see the semblable coherence of his men's spirits and his. They, by
observing of him, do bear themselves like foolish justices ; he, by convers-
ing with them, is turned into a justice-like serving-man. Their spirits
are so married in conjunction with the participation of society, that they
flock together in consent, like so many wild geese. If I had a suit to
Master Shallow, I would humour his men, with the imputation of being
near their master ; if to his men, I would curry with Master Shallow
that no man could better command his servants. It is certain that
either wise bearing or ignorant carriage is caught, as men take diseases,
one of another ; therefore, let men take heed of their company. I will
devise matter enough out of this Shallow, to keep Prince Harry in con-
tinual laughter the wearing-out of six fashions, which is four terms, or
two actions, and he shall laugh without intervallums. O, it is much,
that a lie, with a slight oath, and a jest, with a sad brow, will do with
a fellow that never had the ache in his shoulders ! O, you shall see him
laugh, till his face be like a wet cloak ill laid up.
46
50
FALSTAFF
A VOLCANO of carnality capped by a head that seems red hot with
fleshly passions.
Of all the examples in the book this is the most exaggerated.
In exaggerating to a point of almost buffoonery it has been my
wish to show to what extremes make-up could be carried extremes
that should usually be avoided.
The chief intention was to give great additional breadth to the
head and face, as opposed to the Don Quixote, in which case the head
has been lengthened as much as possible.
What this additional breadth amounts to may be realised by
referring to Fig. 1 of the progressive print-.
In Fig. 2 the wig is shown with the silk joined to it from which
the cheeks and double chin are to be formed. With spirit gum the
edges of the silk are joined round the eyes, mouth and nose. Next
the cheeks and chin are padded, and the drawstring at the lower edge
of the silk is tightened (see Fig. 3).
A large nose of nose-paste is formed (Fig. 4).
Pouches of nose paste are placed beneath the eyes and these are
blended with the false cheeks, effectually covering the joins.
A groundwork of No. 3 grease paint made deeper with yellow,
carmine, and a little lake is applied evenly all over the face, or
perhaps it would be better to call it a mask. This will bring its
various elements into accord.
Blotches of carmine mixed with a little yellow are dabbed on the
nose and cheeks. High lights of white mixed with a little yellow are
placed on the forehead, on the pouches under the eyes, and on the
cheeks. Blend these with the groundwork carefully.
The beard and moustache are so placed that the actual outlines
of the cheeks are lost. The beard is blended into the cheeks with
crepe hair.
The eyelashes are coloured with reddish yellow making them
seem smaller.
51
SHYLOCK
SHYLOCK. I am bid forth to supper, Jessica :
There are my keys. But wherefore should I go ?
I am not bid for love ; they flatter me :
But yet HI go in hate, to feed upon
The Prodigal Christian. Jessica, my girl,
Look to my house. I am right loth to go :
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest,
For I did dream of money-bags to-night.
56
SHYLOCK
A DIGNIFIED figure really, but under the lash of persecution dis-
closing the evil qualities of revengefulness and craft Strong, cruel, and
resentful.
The nose is built with nose-paste and carefully modelled after it is
joined. In the progressive prints, Figs. 1 and 2, two views are giw-n
of it.
The groundwork is of No. 3 yellow, a little lake, brown, and 13.
Before this is applied to the face, the wig is put on ; but after the spread-
ing of the groundwork it is again removed, that it may not be soiled
during the subsequent stages of the make-up.
The colour for the shadows and wrinkles is formed of the ground-
work with brown and lake added. The cavities of the eyes should be
strengthened with this. Deep grooves are painted from the corners of
the nose, a sunken appearance given to the temples, and crows* feet
drawn from the eyes.
The high lights come above the wrinkles ; and are placed on the most
prominent parts of the forehead.
The beard, which is of a mixture of black, deep red, and grey hair, is
next gummed into position, taking care that no grease paint is on any
part of the face to which the gum is to be applied. (See Fig. 3.)
In Fig. 4 the blending of the beard with the cheek is shown, also
the placing of half the moustache and a false eyebrow. Observe the
small piece of crepe hair that is placed just under the lower lip.
The wig is again put on and carefully blended with the forehead.
A rather deep reddish powder is suitable for the make-up. The
lips are coloured with carmine and lake mixed.
57
HAMLET
A MIREOR of emotions. The mouthpiece of protesting souls. A
creature of sensitiveness absolute. His face must express almost the
entire range of the passions. Very pale, studious, of great mental
strength and refinement.
Groundwork 2|> a little yellow and a very small quantity of
brown.
Flesh colour that should vaguely suggest ivory. A little white
rubbed on to the most prominent parts of the forehead adds intellec-
tuality to the head.
The shadows which should be of the groundwork deepened with
brown are so arranged that they intensify the sensitiveness of the
face. They are used under the brows to give soulfulness to the eyes
and to make the forehead seem more prominent. A line is drawn
round the upper part of the nostrils to give delicacy to the drawing of
the nose. The darkening of the division of the upper lip and of the
cleft chin makes the face seem thinner. The shadows on the temples
and on the cheeks also help this illusion.
Cream-coloured powder is applied to the face and neck.
The eyebrows are carefully drawn with brown in a wide clear arch
and are afterward lightly combed.
The eyelashes are strengthened by drawing a black line along the
edges and this line is carried a little way out at the outer corner of
the eyes. A tiny spot of carmine at the inner corner by the tear-bag
lends lustre to the eye.
The lips nobly drawn in carmine give passion to the mouth.
The hair is of crisp clean curls which suggests vigour and alert-
ness.
Hamlet when impersonated by fair men has usually been played
in a fair make-up, and this example is worth following. The subtle
natural peculiarities of a fair face make a dark make-up unsuitable to
it and vice versa.
For a fair make-up the same advice should be followed, leaving all
the brown and nearly all the yellow out of the groundwork, and
finishing with rouge. The make-up should be much brighter and the
wig of flaxen.
58
HAMLET
THE time is out of joint ; O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right !
*
HAMLET (SECOND PRINT)
POLONIUS. ' What do you read, my lord ?
HAMLEI. Words, words, words !
POLONIUS. What is the matter, my lord ?
HAMLET. Between who ?
POLONIUS. I mean, the matter that you read, my lord.
HAMLET. Slanders sir ; for the satirical rogue says here that old
men have grey beards ; that their faces are wrinkled ; their eyes purging
thick amber, and plum-tree gum ; and that they have a plentiful lack
of wit, together with most weak hams : all of which, sir, though I
most powerfully and potently believe, yet I hold it not honesty to have
it thus set down ; for yourself, sir, shall be as old as I am, if, like a
crab, you could go backward.
63
IAGO
THE personification of cunningness, craft and deceit. A brilliant
mind and an utterly corrupted spirit. One that enjoys to contem-
plate and to study mental suffering.
Pale skin, dark brown hair, and a reddish beard.
Observe the building of the nose. Its bridge runs in an uninter-
rupted line up to the forehead.
Note the deep shadow of the temples and the manner of colouring
the cheeks.
The drooping moustache gives the face a singularly sinister
expression.
The beard is of crepe hair and is so arranged that it gives the
skin a goatlike appearance.
See instruction for the making of beards.
66
OTHELLO
OF great natural dignity, simple and loyal. Driven to irresistibly
follow an impulse when it has once seized his mind Tortured to
distraction by lago. All the primitive savagery of his race is inani-
ftffeed.
The nose is first depressed by crossing it near the tip with a silk
thread which is tied at the back of the head. A small piece of kid
is placed under the thread, thus keeping from coming into contact with
the skin. The nostrils are built out until the nose has a Moorish
appearance.
The face is first covered with 2j and subsequently with a mixture
of Nos. 10 and 13.
The colouring is made much stronger round the eyes.
High lights are faintly suggested on the forehead and on the
cheek bones.
The beard, which had better be of crepe hair, should be so applied
that the flesh shows through.
Reddish brown powder is used, and the make-up is finished by
painting strong black lines on the edges of the eyelids. The eyebrows
are also of black. The lips are No. 1 3 with a little carmine added.
Ear-rings and a turban help the make-up.
OTHELLO AND IAGO
IAGO. I will in CassicTs lodging lose this napkin,
And let him find it. Trifles, light as air,
Are to the jealous, confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ. This may do something.
The Moor already changes with my poison :
Dangerous conceits are, in their natures, poisons,
Which, at the first, are scarce found to distaste ;
But, with a little act upon the blood,
Burn like the mines of sulphur. I did say so :
Enter OTHELLO.
Look, where he comes ! Not poppy, nor mandragora,
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep,
Which thou ow'dst yesterday.
OTHELLO. Ha ! ha ! false to me ? To me ?
IAGO. Why, how now, general ? no more of that.
OTHELLO. A vaunt ! be gone ! thou hast set me on the rack-
I swear, 'tis better to be much abus'd,
Than but to know't a little.
IAGO. How now, my lord ?
OTHELLO. What sense had I of her stolen hours of lust ?
I saw't not, thought it not, it harmed not me :
I slept the next night well, was free and merry ;
I found not Cassio's kisses on her lips :
He that is robb'd, not wanting what is stolen,
Let him not know't, and he's not robb'd at all.
IAGO. I am sorry to hear this.
70
OTHELLO 71
OTHELLO. I had been happy, if the general camp,
Pioneers and all, had tasted lit-r sweet txxlv,
So I had nothing known : O now, for
Farewell, the tranquil mind : farewell content !
Farewell the plumed troop, and the big wan,
That make ambition virtue ! O, fan-well !
Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fit'r,
The royal banner ; and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstamv of glorious war!
And O, you mortal engines, whose rude throats
The immortal Jove's dread clamours counterfeit,
Farewell ! Othello's occupation's gone !
IAGO. Is't possible, my lord ?
OTHELLO. Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore :
Be sure of it ; give me the ocular proof;
[Taking him by the throat.
Or, by the worth of mine eternal soul,
Thou had'st been better have been born a dog,
Than answer my wak'd wrath.
IAGO. Is't come to this ?
OTHELLO. Make me to see't, or, at the least, so prove it,
That the probation bear no hinge nor loop,
To hang a doubt on ; or woe upon thy life !
IAGO. My noble lord,
OTHELLO. If thou dost slander her, and torture me,
Never pray more ; abandon all remorse :
On horror's head, horrors accumulate :
Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amazed,
For nothing canst thou to damnation add,
Greater than that.
IAGO. O grace ! O heaven forgive me !
Are you a man ? have you a soul or sense ?
God be wi' you ; take mine office. O wretched fool,
That liv'st to make thine honesty a vice !
O monstrous world ! Take note, take note, O world !
To be direct and honest is not safe.
72 OTHELLO
I thank you for this profit ; and, from hence,
I'll love no friend, sith love breeds such offence.
OTHELLO. Nay, stay : Thou should'st be honest.
IAGO. I should be wise ; for honesty's a fool,
And loses that it works for.
OTHELLO. By the world,
I think my wife be honest, and think, she is not.
I think that thou art just and think thou art not.
Til have some proof: Her name, that was as fresh
As Dian's visage, is now begrinVd and black
As mine own face. If there be cords, or knives,
Poison, or fire, or suffocating streams,
Til not endure it. Would I were satisfied !
IAGO. I see, sir, you are eaten up with passion ;
I do repent me, that I put it to you.
You would be satisfied ?
OTHELLO. Would ! nay, I will.
IAGO. And may : But, how ? how satisfied, my lord ?
Would you, the supervisor grossly gape on ?
Behold her tupp'd ?
OTHELLO. Death and damnation ! O !
IAGO. It were a tedious difficulty, I think,
To bring them to that prospect : Damn them then,
If ever mortal eyes do see them bolster,
More than their own ! What then ? how then ?
What shall I say ? Where's satisfaction ?
It is impossible you should see this,
Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys,
As salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross
As ignorance made drunk. But yet, I say,
If imputation, and strong circumstances,
Which lead directly to the door of truth,
Will give you satisfaction, you may have it.
OTHELLO. Give me a living reason she's disloyal.
IAGO. I do not like the office :
But, sith I am enter'd in this cause so far,
Prick'd to it by foolish honesty and love,
OTHELLO 78
I will go on. I lay with Cassio lately ;
And being troubled with a raging tooth,
I could not sleep.
There are a kind of men so loose of soul,
That in their sleeps will mutter their affairs,
One of this kind is Cassio.
In sleep I heard him say, u Sweet Desdemona,
Let us be wary, let us hide our loves ! "
And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand,
Cry, " O sweet creature ! " and then kiss me hard,
As if he pluck'd up kisses by the roots,
That grew upon my lips : then laid his leg
Over my thigh, and sigh'd, and kissed ; and then,
Cry'd, " Cursed fate ! that gave thee to the Moor ! "
OTHELLO. O monstrous ! monstrous !
IAGO. Nay, this was but his dream.
OTHELLO. But this denoted a foregone conclusion ;
Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream.
IAGO. And this may help to thicken other proofs,
That do demonstrate thinly.
OTHELLO. I'll tear her all to pieces.
IAGO. Nay, but be wise ; yet we see nothing done ;
She may be honest yet. Tell me but this,
Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief,
Spotted with strawberries in your wife's hand ?
OTHELLO. I gave her such a one ; 'twas my first gift.
IAGO. I know not that : but such a handkerchief,
I am sure it was your wife's, did I to-day
See Cassio wipe his beard with.
OTHELLO. If it be that,
IAGO. If it be that, or any that was hers,
It speaks against her with the other proofs.
OTHELLO. O, that the slave had forty thousand lives ;
One is too poor, too weak for my revenge !
Now do I see 'tis true. Look here, lago ;
All my fond love thus I do blow to heaven :
Tis gone.
74 OTHELLO
Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell !
Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne
To tyrannous hate ! Swell, bosom, with thy fraught,
For 'tis of aspics 1 tongues !
IAGO. Yet, be content.
OTHELLO. O, blood, blood, blood !
IAGO. Patience, I say ; your mind, perhaps, may change.
OTHELLO. Never, lago. Like to the Pontic sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne'er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on
To the Propontic, and the Hellespont ;
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love,
Till that a capable and wide revenge
Swallow them up. Now, by yond marble heaven,
In the due reverence of a sacred vow [Kneels]
I here engage my words.
IAGO. Do not rise yet. [Kneels.]
Witness, you ever-burning lights above !
You elements that clip us round about !
Witness, that here lago doth give up
The execution of his wit, hands, heart,
To wrong'd Othello's service ! Let him command,
And to obey shall be in me remorse,
What bloody business soever. [They rise.
OTHELLO. I greet thy love,
Not with vain thanks, but with acceptance bounteous,
And will upon the instant put thee to't :
Within these three days let me hear thee say,
That Cassio's not alive.
IAGO. My friend is dead ; 'tis done at your request :
But let her live.
OTHELLO. Damn her, lewd minx ! O, damn her !
Come, go with me apart : I will withdraw,
To furnish me with some swift means of death
For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant.
IAGO. I am your own for ever. [Exeunt.
BOTTOM THE WEAVER
A BUCOLIC egoist, vain, dense, and narrow.
The groundwork for this is No. 3 with a little 13 added. White-
is rubbed into the cheeks in the shape of high lights to broaden the
appearance of the face. A triangular shadow painted on the und< T
part of the nose makes this feature seem to tilt upward. The eyebrows
are almost entirely obliterated with thick grease paint, as also are the
eyelashes. The small perpendicular lines at the ends of the eyes seem
to reduce their size. The corners of the mouth are extended with
paint, and the tight-fitting wig drawn well over the forehead seems, while
it diminishes the size of the head, to make the face appear larger.
Much of the stupidity of countenance is due to expression.
BOTTOM THE WEAVER
BOTTOM awakes. When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer : my
next is, " Most fair Pyramus." Hey, ho ! Peter Quince ! Flute, the
bellows-mender ! Snout, the tinker ! Starveling ! God's, my life ! stolen
hence, and left me asleep. I have had a most rare vision. I have had a
dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an
ass, if he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was, there is
no man can tell what. Methought I was, and methought I had, but
man is but a patched fool if he will offer to say what methought I had.
The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's
hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report,
what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this
dream ; it shall be called Bottom's Dream, because it hath no bottom ;
and I will sing it in the latter end of a play, before the duke : per-
adventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at her death.
7(J
80
PIERROT
THE symbol of all things theatrical. The utterly impersonal medium
for dramatic expression.
The mask of white destroys the distinctions of colour, race, or
station. He may be emotionally, all things to all men.
Most professional clowns cover their faces with a mixture of pure
oxide of zinc and lard, and then powder thickly with dry oxide of zinc.
This is the method that I adopt. Some may prefer to first paint tin-
face with white grease paint and then powder with the zinc.
The lips are painted with carmine. The eyes are outlined with
black, and the eyebrows are definitely drawn. A spot of carmine is
placed at the inner corner of each eye.
81
ROMEO
THE most romantic of the Shakespeare heroes, and physically the most
attractive.
As he is a beautified edition of Hamlet, the instruction for making-
up is similar. Only no effort should be made to arrive at the intel-
lectual type of face that is striven for in the case of the more serious
part.
The groundwork should be No. 2j with 3, a little 13, and yellow
added to give it Italian warmth.
After powdering, the cheeks may be dusted with dry rouge, and this
should be carried up to the temples ; a little on the end of the chin is
also helpful.
In juvenile make-ups it is always advisable to make the forehead
lighter than the rest of the face, as it gives a feeling of animation to
the countenance.
ROMEO
ROMEO. He jests at scars, that never felt a wound.
\Jullct appears above, at a window.
But, soft ! what light through yonder window breaks ?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun !
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she
Be not her maid, since she is envious ;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it ; cast it off.
It is my lady ; O ! it is my love.
! that she knew she were !
She speaks, yet she says nothing ; what of that ?
Her eye discourses, I will answer it.
1 am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks :
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head ?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp ; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright,
That birds would sing, and think it were not night
See ! how she leans her cheek upon her hand !
O ! that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek.
85
THE APOTHECARY IN "ROMEO
AND JULIET"
Tins grim compounder of death-dealing drugs was for me a most
interesting part to play ; I made him up from head to foot.
From the costumier I got the oldest garments that I could procure.
At the elbows, knees, and heels, I destroyed them with acid, so that
when I had them on the joints protruded. The coat and cloak, if I
did not carefully bind them round me, disclosed my ribs.
Wherever flesh showed I painted it in such a way that it suggested
emaciation, and though in reality I am well favoured with flesh I was
told that on the stage I looked like a skeleton done up in a bundle of
rags.
87
ROMEO AND JULIET
APOTHECARY
APOTHECARY. Who calls so loud ?
ROMEO. Come hither, man. I see that thou art poor ;
Hold, there is forty ducats : let me have
A dram of poison ; such soon-speeding gear
As will dispense itself through all the veins,
That the life-weary taker may fall dead,
And that the trunk may be discharged of breath
As violently, as hasty powder fired
Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb.
APOTHECARY. Such mortal drugs I have ; but Mantua's law
Is death to any he that utters them.
ROMEO. Art thou so bare, and full of wretchedness,
And fear'st to die ? famine is in thy cheeks ;
Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes ;
Contempt and beggary, hang upon thy back,
The world is not thy friend, nor the world^s law
The world affords no law to make thee rich ;
Then be not poor, but break it, and take this.
APOTHECARY. My poverty, but not my will, consents.
ROMEO. I pay thy poverty, and not thy will.
APOTHECARY. Put this in any liquid thing you will,
And drink it off : and, if you had the strength
Of twenty men, it would despatch you straight.
88
Si)
THE THREE WITCHES IN "MACBETH"
THESE sub-human creatures, weird, mysterious women that seem ukin
to cats and bats and toads.
The first was made up by binding the nose down as is
described in the instruction for Othello.
The groundwork was of No. 2^- with a great deal of yellow and a
little brown. The cheeks were deeply shadowed, as were also the cavities
of the eyes. The lines running from the nostrils to the corner^ of tin-
mouth were strongly defined. The form of the lips wn* completely
obliterated. Strong shadows were painted round the mouth.
The illustration shows how definitely yellow and white were used
for high lights.
For the second witch I carried my nose upward by putting a silk
thread under it, which I attached to the wig. Similar groundwork
was used, and the same type of shadow was placed on the cheeks and
round the eyes. The teeth were partly painted out with oobbfen 1
wax. Finely cut crepe hair was dusted on the chin.
The third witch had a nut-cracker type of nose and chin built of
nose-paste. The cheeks were built out as in the case of Don
Quixote.
Moles and warts were freely scattered about the lower part of the
face, some of them being armed with bristles.
The colour for the groundwork and shadows was similar to that
used for the first and second witches.
As I have been so frequently asked how I managed to get three
photographs of myself in one print, I may explain that separate
negatives were taken, which were subsequently combined in a com-
posite print.
93
MACBETH
IST WITCH. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
SND WITCH. Thrice and once the hedge-pig whin'd.
SRD WITCH. Harpier cries : 'Tis time, 'tis time.
IST WITCH. Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone,
Days and nights hast thirty-one
Sweltered venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot !
ALL. Double, double toil and trouble ;
Fire, burn ; and, cauldron, bubble.
SND WITCH. Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake ;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth, boil and bubble.
ALL. Double, double toil and trouble ;
Fire, burn ; and, cauldron, bubble.
SND WITCH. Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
98
UNCLE TOM
THIS kind-hearted negro, the idol of children, devout and forbearing,
has ever made a profound appeal to me.
The make-up is in many respects similar to that of Othello. In
fact exactly the same instructions may be followed for shaping the
nose.
The wig, beard and moustache, eyebrows and the colour of the
face, give it of course an entirely different character.
The ground is of brown, with a little 13 added to give it
warmth. Great care should be taken to get this colour well to the
edges of the eyes or you will look more like the minstrel type of
negro than that variety which was found on the plantations of
Kentucky.
The hands and arms, neck and ears, should all be carefully
made up.
99
ST. DUNSTAN
English Church Pageant, 1909.
100
101
104
FLEURY
GAY, debauched, and lascivious.
An extreme type of French bohemian.
Notice how the moustache is brushed back from the mouth ; the
insolent droop of the eyelids, and the elevation of the eyebrows.
The nose runs directly up into the forehead as in the case of lago.
The hair is long and curls in bushy masses.
Full instructions for making the beard will be found in the descrip-
tion accompanying the progressive stages of the false beard.
A large black-rimmed eyeglass helps the characterisation.
105
ABSINTHE
.
LIN. Drink ?
FLEURY. Absinthe.
LIN. Do you do you excuse me paint ? \Fkury shakes his
head and drinks.] You are a poet ?
FLEURY. Yes, my friend, I am \dririks\. I sing an answer to the
siren's song. It is a ballad of such enchanting lewdness, they hold
their breath to listen, and silenced they are lost. Many a dainty
female thing, drunk with voluptuous ecstasy, has crept into my nets.
LIN. On what seas do you roam ?
FLEURY. Seas ! He that mentions water in my hearing, even if he
dignifies it with the name of sea, insults me gravely. The only
liquid of my life is that which but a moment since made virile this
poor glass, that now alas is dead. [Fleury's glass is filled, and he drmks,
smacking his lipsJ\ An ocean was not too much. Nay, all the fluid systems
of the world Td gulp within. An ocean here [putting his hand upon his
stomach], a lake upon my tongue. Through every vein a burning river
run, and to my brain great clouds would rise through which pale
opalescent rainbows would never cease to play.
From a Play by CAVENDISH MORTON.
106
THE PROFESSOR
MEN who study assiduously a certain branch of the animal kingdom
sometimes grow to look more or less like the things they contemplate.
This etymologist has cultivated a family resemblance to the insects
that he studies.
The inquisitive eyes and the impertinent nose might well become a
mosquito.
The nose is elongated with nose-paste.
The groundwork of No. 3 is used. The shadows and wrinkles
are of lake mixed with a little blue. The high lights are of pale
yellow. The eyebrows are of grey made by mixing black and white
paint. The eyelashes are thickly coated with white.
The face is treated with very light powder.
The spectacles, unkempt hair and velvet cap, all give characteristic
touches.
Particular attention is called to the hands. They are shadowed
at all spaces that occur between the bones with a mixture of lake and
brown. Veins are outlined in blue and high lights on the bones and
veins are accentuated with pale yellow.
107
THE PROFESSOR
I CAUGHT it myself. I could dance for joy. It bit me on the wrist.
I watched it suck my blood. I let it quietly feed, then I put a little
glass over it and held it down until it was dead.
See I have a ring upon my arm. I'll show you its sting under a
microscope.
108
109
112
THE SOUL STRUGGLE
IN this, physical expression is given to the profound spiritual conflict
that takes place within a man of definitely dual personality.
He alternately comes under good and evil influences, each transition
coming suddenly. As the changes occur while the character is in view
of the audience, the whole effect has to be produced by the altered
expression of face and of form.
When working this character up I studied the effect in a full-
length mirror, striving constantly to make one character more and
more dignified, while the other was persistently degraded, till, ulti-
mately, I attained the most distinctive contrast of character that it
was possible to achieve without the aid of artificial make-up.
113
SIR THOMAS MORE
THIS print is included that it may be compared with the actual
Holbein print. It shows how important accuracy of detail in the
costuming of a part is.
When I impersonated this character in the Chelsea Pageant, every
London paper commented on the success of the make-up, the Times
saying, if the Chancellor were to rise from the grave even he could
hardly tell the difference between us ; the Standard, that I realised
Holbein's portrait with startling fidelity, and the Daily News, that I
looked as if I had stepped directly out of Holbein's well-known
canvas ; while the Sketch and Referee called me a living Holbein.
115
.
118
119
SIR THOMAS MORE IN HIS GARDEN
AT CHELSEA
SIR THOMAS MORE BIDDING FAREWELL
TO HIS FAVOURITE DAUGHTER
THE additional pictures of Sir Thomas More are reproduced to show
how well the illusion of character was maintained under the most
trying conditions possible.
Make-up usually seems more real when seen by artificial light, but
as at the Chelsea Pageant, 1908, I had no such aid, the achievement
of absolute reality was all the more difficult
NAPOLEON
AN example of how historical accuracy should be striven for. The
success of this presentation depends on the actor more or less definitely
resembling the first Emperor of the French.
In my own case the only change I had to make in my appearance
was to have my hair suitably cut.
I went to infinite pains however to have each part of the costume
an exact copy of that he wore.
As very few prints are seen of Napoleon in Coronation robes,
perhaps the illusion will not be so striking as it would have been had
I chosen to represent him wearing his well-known hat. I preferred
however to represent a less hackneyed picture.
127
NAPOLEON
DIDEROT. I have seen him on his throne.
BARBEILLON. Was it wonderful ?
DIDEROT. Wonderful ! He looks like a baby swaddled in glory,
sitting on his high chair.
BARBEILLON. Well ?
DIDEROT. It was wonderfully pitiful and pitifully wonderful. So
terribly final. There he sat like a bad boy who had stolen the toy-
shop. He knows that no new thing may be created, so he sifts the old,
and selecting the best puts them together as children build with blocks.
He assembles with a perfection which sickens. Triumphant arch
or wedding trousseau is arranged with equal facility.
BARBEILLON. How was he dressed ?
DIDEROT. The dandy of eternity, he had been to the clothing
bazaar of time ; taken what he fancied Caesar's hat, Queen Elizabeth's
collar, Louis'" cloak.
BARBEILLON. Extraordinary !
DIDEROT. I know ; but it was all so right. Round his neck a
chain, an aviary of linked golden eagles. On his breast a mighty
cross of five points as if it were built to crucify the senses of the
world upon. In its centre a great N, the symbol of negation to
humanity. No ! no ! no ! it said to all mankind. But I felt from
the look in his eyes that it had burnt through to his own heart. He
is not blazing satisfaction, only smouldering discontent.
I wonder if hell smoulder out.
From a Play by CAVENDISH MORTON.
128
"
FALSE BEARDS
FALSE beards may be procured ready made on gauze, or may be made
upon the face.
When a very large growth of hair is desired the wigmaker's pro-
duction is most suitable, but a small beard will have u much more
natural appearance if it is made up directly upon the face.
The twelve prints illustrating the method of work, practically
explain themselves, but a few descriptive words may be helpful.
Crepe hair is in far too curly a condition when procured from the
wigmaker, to be used with much success.
I moisten and comb out a large quantity of it, then allow it to
dry.
Fig. 1 of the progressive prints shows the hair being combed out,
Fig. 2 being roughly cut into shape. In Fig. 3 this piece has been
gummed into position. In Fig. 4 a circular bunch has been gum
to the chin. Fig. 5 the piece under the lower lip Fig. 6 the covering
of the cheek from ear to chin. Fig. 7 a small piece that runs from
the corner of the mouth into the beard. Fig. 8 a blending of the
beard with the cheek. Fig. 9 the placing of half the moustache.
Fig. 10 the trimming of the beard. Fig. 11 illustrates how the
moustache may be arranged ; and Fig. 1 2 that the beard may be
pulled into any form.
.The hair should not be pulled out in thick masses, and when it is
in position may be brushed and combed even as a real beard might.
It may be trimmed into any shape with an absolute certainty of its
being realistic.
137
rton, Cavendish
2063 The ar
--
PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY
