The Face of the Industrial Revolution
When imagining the individuals who lived through the Industrial Revolution, it’s simple to image the characters from a Charles Dickens novel. It’s simple to think about cities full of soot-faced Oliver Twists and David Copperfields. In some respects, this image is correct. The first 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 massive factories sprung up inside the span of just a few years. New mining strategies had been developed so as to produce the coal wanted to energy the brand new factories. Rural residents, in search of work, started emigrate to main cities equivalent to London and New York. The air was certainly full of a Dickensian smog, however the Industrial Revolution additionally had a profound impact on skincare merchandise and beauty use. As the common pay rose, an growing quantity of bizarre residents had been discovering themselves capable of 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 persevered all through a lot of the nineteenth century, girls had been allowed just a few beauty exceptions. Pale pores and skin was nonetheless thought of a mark of excessive beginning and whereas the heavy lead powders of a century earlier had been now not used, they had been changed by a skinny coating of zinc oxide. The zinc oxide provided the profit of a lightened pores and skin tone, however was extra refined and extra pure trying than the caked on powder that had been so widespread earlier than. Refined eyeshadow produced from lampblack was additionally widespread, though lip and cheek rouge remained taboo. Whereas many ladies nonetheless blended their very own cosmetics, trendy manufacturing strategies had made it a lot simpler to mass produce these merchandise. Though the use of manufactured cosmetics was extraordinarily widespread, nonetheless, it was not thought of correct to purchase or promote magnificence merchandise. As a result of of this, most shops bought them below the counter. **
In spite of the stigma that also surrounded skincare and beauty merchandise, some girls did converse out to advertise their use. In 1833, Jacobine Weiler printed a e book 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 support. Whereas respectable girls couldn’t be seen shopping for lip or cheek rouge, quite a few recipes had been printed describing strategies for making lip pomade within the house. Recipes included frequent elements equivalent to butter, wax and pure dies produced from currants and the plant alkanna tictoria.***
For all the ladies who defended beauty use, nonetheless, there have been many others who believed that sporting make-up was step one towards a life of sin. Many books devoted to the defamation of cosmetics had been additionally printed. “Godey’s Girl’s E book,” for instance, was printed across the center of the century. It prompt that as a substitute of making an attempt to cowl blemishes with make-up, girls ought to rely solely on “ethical cosmetics,” which included sleeping and avoiding sinful pastimes equivalent to playing and ingesting.
Cleaning the Pure Means
As mass manufacturing strategies had been refined, the value of quite a few hygiene merchandise grew to become cheaper and extra available. Whereas perfumed soaps had been thought of a luxurious merchandise half a century earlier, cleaning soap was now commonplace in all however the poorest houses. As a result of girls might now not cover behind a thick layer of powder, there was a a lot stronger emphasis on naturally lovely pores and skin. Harsh cleansers had been extra simply produced as properly, however they had been usually ignored in change for extra pure skincare elements. Egg yolks, honey and oatmeal had 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 just a few shades lighter. Whereas naturally glowing well being could have been the look of alternative in the beginning of the nineteenth century, nonetheless, it could quickly make manner 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
