Beauty and Cosmetics 1550-1950

by Sarah Jane Downing

Exhibiting enormous power or inspiring incredible devotion, throughout history beauty has been women's chief asset. Each age has required its own standard - a gleaming white brow during the Renaissance, the black eyebrows considered charming in the early 18th century, or the thin lips thought desirable to the Victorians. For those naturally blessed, their beauty could ensure a good marriage, offer social mobility, fame or notoriety whereas those without such obvious gifts would resort to any ends to achieve an illusion of beauty. Ours is not the only age when beauty is celebrated but also judged and quantified. From the color of the ear to the transparency of the teeth the benchmark for every aspect of beauty has been set and women - and some men - have applied themselves wholeheartedly risking their lives using poisonous chemicals, their fortunes at the risk of blackmail, or the wrath of God, to reach the desired targets. From Queen Elizabeth I who used dangerous quantities of white lead to give her complexion the illusion of a youthful lustre, to Marilyn Monroe who blended 4 shades of lipstick to emphasise her perfect pout this book will examine some of the more unusual cosmetic practices contemplated in beauty's name.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Womens, Fashion

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Elizzy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Qué maravilla de libro! Ya había leído uno sobre moda de la Regencia de la misma autora, y sabía que éste sería similar y ¡ninguna decepción! A través de 60 páginas llenas de datos, referencias e imágenes, cuenta la historia de la belleza femenina desde la baja Edad Media hasta los años 50 del siglo XX, presentando las modas en belleza principales en las mujeres de Occidente y Reino Unido en particular, con curiosidades, polémicas y un sin fin de pequeñas anécdotas, que fascinarán a las aficionadas a este tema, como yo.
Una manera de ver cómo la belleza, esa vanidad, esa esclavitud y esa liberación, ha evolucionado a lo largo de los siglos entre las mujeres.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining and interesting small book tracing the history of cosmetics. Knowing nothing about the subject, I found this to be a nice introductory book, which was easy and quick to read.

[Jaykayrisque · Rating 5 out of 5]

For wearing make-up, women have at times been reviled and condemned to hell, and at others, worshiped on pedestals as paragons of perfection. It's been the marital duty of wives to optimise their appearence to gratify their husbands; of spouses and sweethearts to boost the morale of their menfolk away in times of war. And sometimes women have rebelliously used the same means to assert their own independence in the face of a disapproving male establishment. On the way there have been high costs. The use of preparations of white lead powder, to damaging, debilitating and even tragic effect went on for nearly two centuries, while social imperatives induced blindness to seemingly obvious harm.

This book is a beautifully presented overview, in the manner of an art history. There are plenty of relevant and fascinating illustrations, and the author always makes her point clearly, including details which capture the feel of the period, and expressing herself in ways which are wry, poetic and sometimes poignant. There are lots of quotes and references, but the academic aspect to the text gives it depth without detracting from entertainment value.

Just one criticism. If you've been needing reading glasses for a while, the physical scale of this lovely little book will send you to the opticians!

[Orianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative although not what I thought it was going to be.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is this a fascinating book in general, I found it very useful for my interest in portraiture also.

[Matilda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The drawback on studying civilisation and reading research papers is that when you read "non professional" history books in your downtime, it can be a bit underwhelming. I have loved Downing's other books about fashion and sadly I found this one way too shallow on the research front. Shortcuts are made, and if I learned numerous interesting titbits about makeup and beauty, I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest seeing her perfunctory analysis of some events.

[Liselotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shire Library is a great way to introduce yourself to several subjects.
On the subject of makeup, this is one of the best books I've read thus far, and I've read A LOT. Cosmetics and beauty are my favourite subjects to read about, so I own and have read quite a few books about it, and this book has been the most in-depth by far. I pride myself in knowing quite a bit about it, and this book thought me a few things I didn't know before!

If you are on the hunt for a book about makeup and beauty, this is definitely one of the best, and considering it's under a 100 pages, that makes it even better! ;)

[Rachel McNeil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was amazing! It was astonishing to see the evolution of make up. I couldn’t believe how many brands we know and love today were around in the 1900’s. The first mascara by Maybelline blew my mind. Get this book, you won’t regret it.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short introduction that I enjoyed.

[Ilaria Fevola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick guide about history of beauty and make up. Recommended if you're new to the topic and want to have an overview from really back in time.

[Joanne Nock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book, I really enjoyed this .

[Pahel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 Stars!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite beauty related books. I go back to it often, to re-read parts of it. Very interesting and detailed, I enjoy the historical element of it greatly as well.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Shire Publication books are great. This one fits in 400 years of beauty and cosmetics in 63 pages with some lovely illustrations and cosmetic ads from early 20th century. There is a lot in this book and a bibliography should you want to read more on the subject (which I now do). Whatever your passion, there will be a Shire book by a fellow enthusiast. I am off to buy the book on old post boxes now. Shh, don't tell anyone.....