Article on 17th century makeup at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd

My second article on mid-17th century beauty is now up. Makeup trends, skin care and ingridients and I also do two makeup tutorials with period makeup. I thought it was interesting to see how different makeup can look depending on ingridient and was of application.

If you subscribe to Your Wardrobe Unlock'd, then you can read the article here.

I have written an article about 17th century hair for Your Wardrobe Unlock'd

Lady Margaret Tufton by David des Granges, 1638-1650

Some time ago, in February, I approached Your Wardrobe Unlock’d and asked if they might be interested in two articles about 17^th century hair and makeup. To my delighted surprise they were and the first article went live today. I feel quite exited, I can tell you! The subject is the woman’s hairstyle that was popular for the whole mid-part of the 17^th century where the hair was put in a chignon in the back and the side hair was hanging down around the ears. In my article I go through the key variations of it and also how to set and style a wig. The next article that will be up next month, is about makeup during the same period.

You can read, if you subscribe to Your Wardrobe Unlock’d, here.

An article on stage makeup in the 17th and 18th century

Some time ago I was asked by Talia of The Gibson Girl's Guide to Glamor if I wanted to write an article about stage makeup in the 17th and 18th century for a website she runs about Commedia dell'Arte. Which I, of course, wanted and you can now read the article here.

I wish I could have found out more, but if there is a work especially on stage makeup for these centuries, then it has eluded me. 16th century and 19th century yes, but not for 17th and 18th century. I think it is a very interesting subkect, though.

David Garrick as John Brute in 'The Provok'd Wife' by Vanbrugh, Drury Lane by Johann Zoffany, 1763

At the vanity, 1750-1800

You may have noticed that the mythological ladies primping themselves are gion ein the 18th century. There are, of course, plently of allergorcal nakedness elsewhere, but the vanity is now for the ordinary lady, with or without an entourage of maids and friends.

This charming lady has a small pot of rouge on her table and either a swandowns puff for application, or perhaps just some crumpled fabric.

Portrait of Madame Courcelles by Jean-Baptiste Greuze

Alexander Roslin, 1755-1760

The Toilet, 1760

A lady at her toilet in an interior by Abraham Hendrick van Beesten, 1762

 

Van Loo

Powder box with a powderpuff with a handle as well as a cabinet that sems to contain bottles of various kinds.

Source

Powderbox with puff and a small brush beside it. I winder to what? Powdering face, rouge, clothes?

A family scene by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, 1778

A Woman at her Toilet with a Maid, a Boy, a Dog and a Young Soldier; verso: A Sketch for a Similar Composition by Johann Eleazar Zeissig, called Schenau, 1770

 

The Morning Toilet by Pehr Hilleström

 

The lady and her maidservant at the morning toilet

 

 

 Not an ordinary toilet room but an actress dressing room, but it is worth noting that she has just about the same thing on it as other ladies.

An Actress at Her Toilet, or Miss Brazen just Breecht, anonymous artist after John Collet, 1779

Pehr Hilleström

My favourite pictures are those were you get a glimpse on how the hairstyle is constructed. Here you get a view on both the front and the side.

Mademoiselle Du T... by Jean-François Janinet, 1779

Source

 A hair that has completely broken down.

The Broken Mirror by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1763

Two back views that clearly shows how hairstyles was worked in sections, first the front, and then one could arrange the backhair in curls, braids, etc.

An Interior With A Young Lady At Her Toilet, Combing Her Hair Before A Mirror by Johann Anton de Peters

A woman combing her hair in front of the mirror by Pehr Hilleström

What to do when one hasn't got a special powder room. Protect the furniture with a screen and draped curtains and protect the floor with a piece of cloth.The lady herself is swathed in a powder cape.

La Coiffure by Baptiste Mallet

 

The Toilet by Robert Sayer, London. 1786

The English Dressing Room, Stipple engraving by P. W. Tomkins after Chas. Ansell published 1789

Lady with attendant, engraving by Jean Francois Janinet after Nicolas Lawrence

 

The Coquette at her Toilet, after George Morland

Dressing for a ball, 1797

There is an abundance of satirical drawings depicting vain men and women in the 18th century, but the items of the dressing table looks just about the same as in more serious paintings.

Frontispiece to Anstey's election ball, 1776

The Lady's Maid or Toilet Head Dress, 1776

 

Source

The English Shaver of Frenchman in the Suds, 1772

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The Coiffure, model attributed to Gottlieb Friedrich Riedel, c. 1770

At the vanity, 1700-1750

Madame has a number boxes and pots, one undoubtly for powder and one for jewelry. There is also a large brush behind the mirrror that looks like it is meant for clothes. It is worth noting that everything on the vanity is a matching set. Colour and shape suggest laquered goods from China. She seems to be in the process of applying rouge while listening to what the visiting priest is reading.

La toilette de Madame Geoffrin by Nicholas Lancret (1690-1743)

The lady above use her fingers for her rouge, but Madame de Pompadour use a small brush to apply hers. It might have been a matter for preference, but a rouge based on fat is easier to apply with the fingers and a dry one with a brush, so that might also be a reason. The powder puff with the small handle is meant to freshen up the powdered hair. An illustration plate from Encyclopédie Méthodique, Arts Mécaniques show a very similar puff.

 

Madame de Pompadour at Her Toilette by François Boucher, 1750's

Similar rouge box and brush.

Enamelled gold box for rouge and patches with brush by Joseph-Etienne Blerzy, 1780-1782

This unknown lady is in the process of applying her patches, the lid of her patch box showing a portrait of a man, probably her lover. One can suspect that the powder puff, which looks exactly the same as the one of the portrait of Madame de Pompadour, was one of Boucher's props.

A Lady Applying A Beauty Patch by Francois Boucher

It seems to have been quite popular to have been painted with a patch ready at a finger tip. More matching, probably laquered boxes. I wonder if it is the handle of a brush we are seeing.

Anne de La Grangem Trianon by François-Hubert Drouais, (1727-1775)

 

La Mouche, A Lady at Her Toilet by Louis Tocque

Beside the patch box there are also a jewelry box and a rouge brush on the vanity. And a cylindrical etui, which I am curious about. anyone who knows what it was used for? Needles perhaps, though it seems a bit too big for that.

Portrait of Marquise de Gast by Donatien Nonnotte, 1743

Despite being a charicature, the vanity table looks very much like they do on more serious pictures.

La Folie Pare La Decrepitude Des Ajustements De La Jeunesse by Charles-Antoine Coypel (1694-1752)

Many vanity tables on 18th century paintings seems to have been especially furnished for that purpose, with cloth fitted over them, but there are also paintings were the table have several purposes. There is also a charming drawing by Sergel, which I can't find online, of a lady getting her hair dressed by her maid in the kitchen, while food is being prepared in the background.

A Lady at Her toilet by Jean Raoux, 1727

Queen Caroline at Windsor at her dressing table with her two oldest children, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York:by Johann Zoffany

Circle of The Master of the Reflessi

 

François Hubert Drouais

 A lady in the process of powdering her hair

A Lady at her toilet table, dressed in a peignoir by an unknown artist, c. 1750

Not a vanity painting, but I include it because the little girl still have her curling paper in her hair, a nice peek into the process of dressing hair.

Madame Liotard and her Daughter by Jean-etienne Liotard (1702-1789)

 

 

 

 

At the vanity, 1650-1700

There are significanly less goddesses who preen themselves in front of a mirror in the latter half of the 17th century, but a lot of Dutch middle class ladies, which is rather more interesting for this blog.

 

Not a very good copy, but she seems to be holding a small box and she is holding her hand in the same way ladies do on 18th century paintings when they are applying a beauty patch, so I believe this is what she is doing here as well. 

A lady at her toilet by Jan van Noodt, 17th century

Not much can bee seen on the table apart from the mirror and a round box, but it is interesting to see the hairstyle from the back.

Woman at A Mirrir by Gerard Terborch the younger, ca. 1650

Mirror, a large round boc, a smaller squarer one, a comb and a necklace, or possible just a piece of string. And a rather large brush, which function I wonder about. It is round and the handle is straight, which would probably make it difficult to use as a hair brush. A clothes brush, perhaps? Or possible used to brush white powder onto the skin, the lady is certainly pale enough. What do you think?  (Follow the link under the picture and you will be able to zoom in on it.)

A Young Woman at Her Toilet with a Maid by Gerard Terborch the younger, 1650-1651

I think the red pillowlike shape is a pin cushion. If that seems like a strange thing to have at the vanity, remember that it was very common to use pins to secure clothing. There is also a small brush. Another version of this painting can be seen here.

Lady at her toilet by Gerard Terborch the younger, 1657

Women at her toilet by Gabriel Metsu, ca.1658

Lady at her toilette by Gerard Terborch the younger, 1660

 

A young woman at her toilet by Gerard Dou, 1667

Portrait of a lady by Gabriel Metsu, 1667

The love letter by Jacob Ochtervelt, ca. 1670

Another of these brushes with a straight handle.

Woman at her toilette by Frans van Mieris, 1678

A gigantic comb and dito brush Or is it a very full pin cushion? 

Recueil des modes de la cour de France, 'Fille de Marchand, estant à Sa Toilette' by Nicoals Arnoult, 1687

A lot is going on here, boxes and bowls on the table as well as a pin cushion. Hot water is arriving and what is the maid with the bowl doing. She may be holding a wash cloth and holding a washing bowl, but my first thought was that she was applying white paint.

The Morning, Lady at her toilet, engraving, late 17th century

 

The evening routine seems much less ardous.

The Night, Lady going to bed, engraving, late 17th century

Late 17th century engraving

Is she holding a hair pin or is she in the process of painting her eyebrows?

Madama la Marquise Dangeau at her Toilet, engraving, 1694

Portrait of a woman by Nicolas de Largillière, 1696

La toilette, Turkish school, around 1700

This really belong to the previous post as it is from the 1630's, but I only found it today and I had to include it, as this is a rare depiction of a man making himself pretty. Notice that he is fixing his love lock. 

A Cavalier at His Dressing Table by Adriaen van de Venne, 1631