The Face of the Industrial Revolution
When imagining the individuals who lived throughout the Industrial Revolution, it’s simple to image the characters from a Charles Dickens novel. It’s simple to think about cities stuffed with soot-faced Oliver Twists and David Copperfields. In some respects, this image is correct. The primary half of the nineteenth century noticed many main technological advances. The invention of the steam engine made manufacturing and transportation a lot simpler and dozens of huge factories sprung up inside the span of some years. New mining strategies have been developed so as to produce the coal wanted to energy the brand new factories. Rural residents, on the lookout for work, started emigrate to main cities akin to London and New York. The air was certainly stuffed with a Dickensian smog, however the Industrial Revolution additionally had a profound impact on skincare merchandise and beauty use. As the typical pay rose, an growing variety of bizarre residents have been discovering themselves in a position to afford soaps and make-ups that had beforehand been far out of attain.
A Ethical Dilemma
By the tip of the eighteenth century, make-up had been deemed inappropriate for all however prostitutes and actors. Whereas this angle endured all through a lot of the nineteenth century, girls have been allowed a number of beauty exceptions. Pale pores and skin was nonetheless thought-about a mark of excessive start and whereas the heavy lead powders of a century earlier have been not used, they have been changed by a skinny coating of zinc oxide. The zinc oxide supplied the good thing about a lightened pores and skin tone, however was extra delicate and extra pure trying than the caked on powder that had been so standard earlier than. Refined eyeshadow created from lampblack was additionally standard, though lip and cheek rouge remained taboo. Whereas many ladies nonetheless blended their very own cosmetics, fashionable manufacturing strategies had made it a lot simpler to mass produce these merchandise. Though the usage of manufactured cosmetics was extraordinarily standard, nevertheless, it was not thought-about correct to purchase or promote magnificence merchandise. Due to this, most shops bought them underneath the counter. **
Regardless of the stigma that also surrounded skincare and beauty merchandise, some girls did communicate out to advertise their use. In 1833, Jacobine Weiler revealed a ebook titled, “Cosmetics of the Feminine Intercourse, or The Secret Artwork of Perfecting Magnificence and Well being and Retaining It into Outdated Age” that promoted beauty use as a magnificence help. Whereas respectable girls couldn’t be seen shopping for lip or cheek rouge, quite a few recipes have been revealed describing strategies for making lip pomade within the residence. Recipes included frequent substances akin to butter, wax and pure dies created from currants and the plant alkanna tictoria.***
For all the ladies who defended beauty use, nevertheless, there have been many others who believed that carrying make-up was step one towards a lifetime of sin. Many books devoted to the defamation of cosmetics have been additionally revealed. “Godey’s Woman’s E-book,” for instance, was revealed across the center of the century. It recommended that as an alternative of attempting to cowl blemishes with make-up, girls ought to rely solely on “ethical cosmetics,” which included sleeping and avoiding sinful pastimes akin to playing and ingesting.
Cleaning the Pure Approach
As mass manufacturing strategies have been refined, the value of quite a few hygiene merchandise grew to become inexpensive and extra available. Whereas perfumed soaps had been thought-about a luxurious merchandise half a century earlier, cleaning soap was now commonplace in all however the poorest houses. As a result of girls might not cover behind a thick layer of powder, there was a a lot stronger emphasis on naturally lovely pores and skin. Harsh cleansers have been extra simply produced as effectively, however they have been usually ignored in alternate for extra pure skincare substances. Egg yolks, honey and oatmeal have been all generally used to melt the pores and skin and assist diminish blemishes. Lemon juice was typically used to naturally bleach the pores and skin a number of shades lighter. Whereas naturally glowing well being could have been the look of alternative firstly of the nineteenth century, nevertheless, it might quickly make means for the frail, sickly look of the Victorian Period.
References:
** Learn extra about nineteenth century make-up right here: http://www.localhistories.org/cosmetics.html
*** Learn extra in regards to the Industrial defenders of cosmetics right here: http://www.cosmetic-business.com/en/showartikel.php?art_id=1409
Trending Merchandise