After watching Great Expectations in the 2012 film version and also the BBC 2011 3-part series and being presented our project brief in class this week I realised that I don't know that much about the time, nor about the fashion and beauty standards and expectations of the period so have done a little research into it to get an idea of the beauty regime of the ladies living in the era.
From looking at some portraits I can already see that the hairstyles; although still elaborate, they are more relaxed and flattering than those worn in the Elizabethan era. The women have a softer and more romantic look about them in the hair, make-up and dresses worn in comparison to the Elizabethan women. These portraits have made me excited to begin learning more about the beauty of this era and getting to have a go at recreating some similar styles and looks myself. I think the hair was so important to the Victorian women as make-up was used in such small quantities, so they embraced their femininity instead by wearing their hair in beautiful styles. Victorian womens hair was very long and all one length as they never had it cut, they even added false hair to theirs to make it appear fuller and more luscious. They would wear it in a chignon or bun with a center parting and the sides often worn down and curled in ringlets to frame the face. The hairstyles were very smooth and sleek and oils were added to the hair to emphasize the polished appearance.
The Victorian era which began in 1837 was a period where cosmetics were used sparsely and only to enhance natural features, true to the saying "less is more". Modesty and religious values were very important during this time and religion labelled cosmetics as "the tool of the devil". Most women wore some make-up but it was always very muted and pale shades used for eyeshadow, cheeks and lips and powder to reduce shine. Eyeshadows were made with lead and antimony sulfide, lipstick was made with mercuric sulfic and beet juice was applied as rouge to the cheeks. Visible and heavy make-up was only worn by prostitutes and actresses (which were considered to be the same thing during this time period) at the beginning of the era however it became slightly more acceptable towards the end. Although make-up was frowned upon, skincare was quite important to the Victorian lady and creams and tonics were made from mostly natural ingredients. Mixes like water, scents of roses, orange flower, violets, cucumber and rosemary (the list goes on!) were used to create tonics and waxes were mixed with almond oil and scents from flowers to make creams for the skin. Water was seen as a must have beauty ingredient for amazing skin and was included in almost every product used to clean, soften and beautify the body.
Like in during the Golden Age, the Victorians also shared the belief that pale skin was beautiful and a sign of the nobility and higher classes. Most of the dangerous methods of skin whitening were not used as often as they had been in the past and Zinc Oxide was used for the same effect without being as harmful to the skin. In many of the Victorian paintings women were seen using parasols in the sun and wearing large hats to shade themselves from the sun to avoid getting a tan. Through research I have learnt that some women would use the Elizabethan technique of painting fine blue lines onto their skin to imitate veins, and also darken the circles underneath their eyes to create an almost unwell look to accentuate the paleness. The painting below I found by Claude Monet was of his wife Camille who was subject to many of his impressionist paintings, this painting was completed by 1873. I chose this painting as it shows her using a parasol on a bright, sunny day in a garden and it looks as though she may be sitting for the painting in a more shaded area, could this be to avoid tanning in the light of the sun?
Camille Monet in the Garden, 1873, Claude Monet
The portrait below implys that femininity was very important during this era with the subtle, natural make-up; glossy, neatly styled hair; bows and frills decorating her beautifully cut dress and the attention to detail with the color coordinated hair accessory and dress trim. The cut of this dress suggests that the ideal body shape of this period was the hour glass figure, a very tiny waist. Victorian women wore corsets under their many layers of clothing which caused great pain and discomfort and health problems. They couldn't breathe properly, or even sit down comfortably whilst wearing the corsets, the breathing problem caused many women to faint whilst wearing it and even broke a couple of ribs trying to tighten them. This shows that women have been making themselves ill and suffering great deals of pain to have what is portrayed at the time, the "perfect figure". To create the huge, over-the-top puffy skirt a steel cage-like frame was worn under their dresses and skirts which teamed with the huge amount of layers they wore and the corset, made it incredibly uncomfortable to move about, sit down and deal with long periods of heat. In this portrait we can also see what as modesty was to important during this era the only skin that was shown was flattering and tasteful, even a bit of ankle showing was considered crude and inappropriate. The off the shoulder dress with a slight V-cut neckline is elegant and fashionable but without showing a large amount of cleavage off; her arms are also bared but her body is concealed by the dress all the way to the bottom although corset style fitted waist shows off the silhouette of her body shape. They knew how to be beautiful without baring all.
Portrait of Princess Elizaveta Alexandrovna Tchernicheva by Alexis-Joseph Perignon, 1853
When I think about a modern example of someone who I believe dresses in a way that shows of skin in a minimal and classy way is Lana Del Rey. At award ceremonies and appearances she always arrives looking classic, chic and beautiful. I think the Victorian women would approve of her attire in these photo's I have chosen of outfits I particularly liked.
References:
http://www.thebeautybiz.com/87/article/history/beauty-through-ages-victorians
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-1305730/The-ugly-face-Victorian-beauty-BEAUTIFUL-FOR-EVER-BY-HELEN-RAPPAPORT.html
http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2010/08/06/beauty-in-the-victorian-age/
http://www.thevictoriangarden.co.za/FascinatingVTCosmetics.html
http://www.wikiart.org/en/claude-monet/camille-monet-in-the-garden
http://www.gogmsite.net/russian-style-between-1837-/subalbum-elizaveta-alexandr/1853-elizaveta-alexandrovna.html
http://images.ezine9.com/imagemanager2/files/30009509/2012/05/2012-05-08-15-53-50-4-lana-del-rey-may-2012.jpeg
http://www1.pictures.stylebistro.com/pc/Lana+Del+Rey+Dresses+Skirts+Day+Dress+0qRnh7_yj1dl.jpg
