Category Archives: makeup history
C. 1900 The Makeup Book For Professionals, F. W. Nack
My first eBay “find” in my study and acquisition of early stage makeup information was this tiny color lithographed pamphlet. I originally assigned a c. 1900 date to it because of the styles of women’s hair in it, (some looked 1890s to me while others seemed a bit 1910-ish, so having no other reference, I split the difference). It was made in Germany (the home of the best stage makeup and best lithography in the first decades of the 20th Century) for the US market, specifically for the Chicago firm of F. W. Nack (theatrical wig and makeup sellers) at a date unknown. Since I first obtained it, I have been able to learn that F.W. Nack was in business from at least 1917 until at least 1957 according to a few ads found in various newspapers and theatre publications. Several of the plates strongly resemble images in Das Schminken, (which appears to be a book from closer to 1910), especially the “Yankee Farmer” who closely resembles the “Schneider” (Tailor-Cutter) in that book, and the “Chinese” and “Hebrew” plates. I don’t know if this means this was partly the copy of the other or both were based on an unknown earlier German book. So the date is most probably later than 1900, but I have no definitive “hook” for a better date as yet. If you do, please let me know!
Pretty much all makeup books from this era until the 1950s had some pretty amazing racist/sexist content, though the gorgeous bright color lithography of this tiny booklet still is the most intense rendition of these jaw droppingly offensive styles I’ve ever found. The intensity of the colors is most probably not an exaggeration. Early electric stage light, especially arc light follow spots, really washed out faces. Note the intensity of color on the white characters as well. There is lots of rouge, blue shadows, and on older characters even yellow highlights are used. When I first got this little booklet, I tried doing the three ages of respectable white lady makeup from this book, (not the sexy “soubrette” or the man-in-drag comic “old maid”) and did this:
1900 Dick’s Makeup Book By Dick & Fitzgerald
1899 WEHMAN’S MAKEUP BOOK OR GUIDE TO THE STAGE BY CHARLES TOWNSEND
1898 Hageman’s Makeup Book By Maurice Hageman
1888 ACTOR’S MAKEUP BOOK BY N. HELMER
1905 Making Up, A Practical And Exhaustive Treatise On This Art, By James Young
The Art Of Makeup, article by Edith Davids, 1901
Haresfoot & Rouge Death Makeup Demo
Death stage makeup (using modern makeup products) inspired by the “Death” makeup facechart in How to Make-Up; A Practical Guide for Amateurs & C. by Haresfoot & Rouge (1877). Find free full color scans of the whole book here!
Products used:
- Graftobian white creme foundation (any white creme-based facepaint works just fine)
- Graftobian pro setting powder (any setting powder works just fine)
- Graftobian black velvet eyeliner (any black eyeliner or black creme facepaint works just fine)
- Morphe 12p eyeshadow palette (Creme based makeup would be ideal. Graftobian, Ben Nye, and Nyx all sell great creme based products, but here’s a creme face and body paint palette that has a little bit of every essential color and won’t break the bank!)
- Brushes from AllumeMakeup and local craft store