My Miss Havisham

From my reading of the novel 'Great Expectations' I have come to the conclusion that I would like to base my portrayal of Miss Havisham around the beginning of the book, upon our initial descriptions of the character. My reason for this is that I find the imagery Dicken's uses to describe Miss Havisham incredibly captivating, he describes with such attention that I find myself with an abundance of things to work from. Ive highlighted some key quotes in these two initial meetings to help me gauge how I exactly I think Miss Havisham should look.

“She was dressed in rich materials - satins, and lace and silks - all of white. Her shoes were white. and she had a long white veil dependant from her hair, she had bridal flowers in her hair but her hair was white”

The abundance of 'white' Dickens uses gives me the impression miss Havisham is incredibly ghostly in appearance from her hair to her costume. 

“Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands…”

To me this quote makes it apparent that Miss Havisham still has an air of wealth about her, despite her neglected appearance. 

“She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on”

Miss Havisham only wears one shoe, this gives me the impression she really doesn't care if she gets cold - her misery and woefulness has consumed her.

“Her veil was but half arranged”

I like this quote because it gives me the idea that her veil is sort of askew, as if its been disrupted through movement, perhaps even from scratching as it appears to me someone who remains unwashed in the same clothes is likely to have nits among other bodily maladies.

“I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre, and was faded and yellow”

There is nothing bright or vibrant about Miss Havisham, she's not just faded away out of society but she's also faded in appearance. 

“I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes.”

This quote suggests Miss havisham has a very withered and shrunken appearance, her skin clings to her bones and gives the appearance of sunkenness. 

“…the figure upon which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone.”

The term 'skin and bone' is something you say about someone who is incredibly malnourished. 

“Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes…”

Pip likens miss Havisham to a wax work, suggesting her skin is rather yellow, perhaps of from illness, her pal our has no life to it.

“You are not afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born?”

Miss Havisham hasn't seen the sun in at least 8 years, she would surely have effects of no sun light.

"Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress

Now wax-work and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me."

Dickens suggests Miss Havisham is skeletal looking, her skin clings to her bones again suggesting to me she has no sustenance. 

'sharper teeth than mice have gnawed at me'

I find this to be a very ambiguous quote, its quite vague as to whether Miss Havisham literally means that harsher things have attacked her, whether these be ferocious creature or personal illness. It could also refer metaphorically to the turmoil suffered after her jilted marriage. 

Miss Havisham isn't the only element of these passages I have investigated. I feel that everything surrounding her from the flowers in her hair to the bridal cake and even the house itself have withered and decayed just as she has, almost mirroring their owners distress. 

I find the description of the bridal cake most fascinating and quite grotesque at the some time.

"it was so heavily overhung with cobwebs that its form was quite indistinguishable...seeming to grow, like black fungus, I saw speckled-legged spiders with blotchy bodies running home to it'

Like everything in the room the bridal cake is covered in dust and cobwebs, it decays from within and is infested with creatures that gnaw away at it. If you compare this to the state of Miss Havisham, its quite similar. 

The most pivotal things that stand out to me through these descriptions is that Miss Havisham really takes no action in her appearance and is actually quite neglectful of herself and as a result is physically (and mentally) decaying. For my Miss Havisham, whether it be for film, tv or theatre, I want to portray her with attention to her own self neglect, in a fairly literal manner I want encompass in my designs how she would have actually looked. But why did Miss havisham look this way? I believe she has become trapped in her own grief, sorrow and intentions for revenge that in fact nothing else matters to her. 

Miss Havisham's face could be very hollow
and skeletal looking
http://tinyurl.com/njcmztr

For this I think I should look in to how lack of food, sleep and sunlight affects the body and how I can portray a look of neglect and decay. 

Initial ideas:

- She would a very skeletal appearance, sunken in cheeks

- Her skin would be incredibly pale, through lack of sunlight

- Her skin could be tinged with yellow, a sign of sickness

- Her hair could be unruly, askew

- She could have had nits for a long time, would her skin be sore and scarred?

- If she doesn't sleep surely her eyes would be sore and red, and sunken in
- Her body could show other signs of decay, as if she were a corpse 

What happens to the body when we die and began to decay?
To me, Miss Havisham is somewhat of a living corpse,
dead inside yet kept alive by her sorrow and quest for revenge
http://tinyurl.com/l7kz794

The Gothic in Great Expectations

How is Gothic Depicted in Great Expectations?
Great Expectations is a prime example of gothic literature, it focuses on many of the key themes I have previously discussed including the abandonment of the innocent (Pip), The mysterious Stranger (Magwitch), the uncanny, the Grotesque, the sublime and transformation. Likewise, the plot also revolves around a lot of issues that occupied the period in which the novel was written such as wealth and poverty, most notably the attitude of the wealthy towards the poor.

Miss Havisham & The bride Cake
Great Expectations (2012)
http://tinyurl.com/omqqjyg

The grotesque, a term that originates from the italian 'Grottesco' for cave, means to be odd, unnatural, ugly or absurd in appearance of character. The grotesque is a gothic motif used through the novel in many forms, however I find the most potent to be that of Miss Havisham. Upon first meeting Miss H, Pip compares her appearance to that off 'some ghostly waxwork at the fair' and a 'skeleton in the ashes of a dress'. Pip remarks that he should have 'cried out' if he could. Pips remarks suggest that miss Havisham has an unpleasant appearance of death, fair from the ideals of victorian beauty I have researched with inspire youth and health. The idea that pip feels he cannot scream, despite being shaken by Miss Havisham resonates elements of the sublime, the idea that even though one feels fearful the thrill of it is enough to keep our attention. 
I feel other characters and objects throughout the novel similarly represent the idea of the grotesque. Take for example Orlick, who among many other sinister actions attacks Mrs Joe , and Bentley Drummle who is a hostile and coarse rival to Pip, these two characters are most certainly 'ugly' in character. 
When I speak of objects reflecting the grotesque, i refer to the objects in Miss havisham's room. The bride cake, most notably raises idea of the grotesque through the manner of its decay and becomes 'indistinguishable' in form and plus home to a many manner of bugs and creatures feasting on its carcass. The imagery of the cake in my opinion very much reflects the state of Miss Havisham herself. 

Illustration of Pip & Magwitch
http://tinyurl.com/n9fg97n

The uncanny is a freudian term used to describe something that is both familiar and alien at the same time. I can liken this Gothic concept to Great Expectations through the character of Abel Magwitch. Magwitch, who is introduced to us initially as a villain at the beginning of the novel, also shows signs of not quite meeting the archetypal 'villain' we assume. Upon meeting Pip in the graveyard Magwitch man handles Pip, hanging him by the feet and threatening that is he dare tell a soul a word of their meeting 'your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted and ate.' Not much later, when then witness Magwitch confess to the theft of Mr Joe file, clearing Pip of any suspicion cast upon him, proclaiming 'I took some wittles, at the village over yonder..', a somewhat noble act. To both Pip and the audience this combination proves both familiar and yet unfamiliar due to what seems unconventional behaviour. 
Dickens gives this uncanny aspect to the novel a twist with the revelation that Magwitch is in fact Pips generous benefactor. We see Magwitch become somewhat of a hero, who has endeavoured to rewrite the wrongs of his past, the result of this transformation is that Pip and the reader warm to him. Transformation being a key theme for many characters throughout the book, we find this one particularly uncanny due to the unusualness of its source. 

(Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, p. 2003 Penguin Classics)

The Gothic

Gothic mainly refers to a genre of literature that encompasses elements of both horror and romance, making it exciting and enticing for the reader. 

Book Covering
'The Castle of Otranto' by Horace Walpole
Written 1764
http://tinyurl.com/phdocsf

This movement in literature is thought to have been initiated by Horace Walpole with his publication of the novel 'The Castle of Otranto' . Other Authors prominent amidst the early 19th century can also be accredited to the genres popularity including Ann Radcliffe, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley among others. 

The Gothic is also largely associated with architecture, specifically the Gothic revival as a backlash against the introduction of very simple, modernised buildings in the 1800s. Such buildings were very much about excess and were very elaborate in style. Take for example Salisbury cathedral, which exudes majesty and decadence in its structure. Authors would use buildings such as these to fuel their writings.

Salisbury Castle
http://tinyurl.com/oyvfc6d

My understanding of Gothic is that it inspires a set of emotions including fear and awe as swell as the sublime and thrill. Quest for atmosphere is very much the intention of gothic architecture and writings. 


Gothic novels often touched upon contemporary fears, for example wealth, poverty, squalor and illness. Common features & motifs within Gothic novels included;
- Exotic landscapes
- Distant lands
- The innocent abandoned 
- The Mysterious Stranger
- Transformation
- Unknown places
- Clashing time periods
- A world of doubt
- Terror vs Horror
- Sexual Power
- The uncanny
- The Gortesque
- The Supernatural & Real
- The sublime
- Crisis

Great Expectations (2012) - Review

As part of my research I have recently watched the 2012 film adaptation of Great Expectations directed by Mike Newell. My overall response to this film was luke warm. 

One of biggest issues I had with it was the pace, it was very much a 'slow burner' to begin with and found myself feeling rather sorry for my boyfriend whom I forced to watch with me! The beginning of the film was rather lack lustre and I found myself wondering when things would get going. However this was remedied with the arrival of Ralph Fiennes as Abel Magwitch, whose performance I found to be very convincing, full of passion and motivation. Once the pace had picked up, I found myself to enjoy the film to greater extent. 

I was very much pleased to find that the film remained rather accurate in its portrayal of the period. The audience is given an insight in to the harsh realities of London town as they view bustling, mud laden and boisterous scene as Pip makes his arrival. Overall, I found the set design to be very much a credit to this rendition, from Pips humble lower class household to Miss Havisham's dark and dusty home, to the luxury of Pips benefacted living quarters. 

I feel the film touches upon and highlights many of the novel's key themes which help raise its credit  to meet the expectations of its audience as a classic and ever popular example of gothic literature. 

Miss Havisham

The role of Miss Havisham is played by the infamous Helena Bonham Carter. I enjoyed Carter's performance with slight reservations. Her performance is alluring and captures the audience instantly, I find her quirky mannerisms and her flexibility in the role to go from seeming quite stable and sane to crazed and peculiar quite admirable. However, my reservations for Carter's portrayal lie in the fact that the character of Miss Havisham is one we've seen her in time and time again, I almost feel this character could have been made more spectacular with the use of perhaps a lesser known actress. 

As with the 2011 BBC adaptation Im pleased to see Miss Havisham played by a reasonable young actress, I feel Helena suits the portrayal in terms of age and appearance. the styling itself I also admire. The Make up is pale faced, shadowed greatly around the eyes that personally express a sense of long time suffering and misery. The hair, although perhaps a tad too messy for my liking, coincides with my ideas of Miss Havisham and looks very unkept and uncared for, yet loosely resembles the victorian style it once was. 

Great Expectations & Portrayals of Miss Havisham

Great Expectations is a novel written by Charles Dickens, published in 1861. I have recently read this book and have come to understand the plot well. The story is considered a classic example of Gothic literature and features many key themes including personal development, redemption, love, poverty, wealth and fear among others. 

The story focuses on the character of Pip, a young boy who seeks betterment and yearns to one day become a 'gentleman', rather than a labouring blacksmith. He begins visiting an eccentric woman known as Miss Havisham, a wealthy lady who remains in her mansion and hasn't seen the light of day since before Pip and has a remained in her wedding dress since she was jilted at the alter. Miss Havisham requests for Pip to play in her presence, often accompanied by Estella, Miss Havisham's adoptive daughter who treats Pip with cold disregard. These visits eventually come to an end and Pips dreams are granted when a mysterious benefactor, whom Pip believes to be Miss Havisham, gifts a large sum of property to him. At the benefactors request, Pip ventures to London to begin his studies to become a gentleman. He maintains an acquaintance with Estella whom he adores and believes is Miss Havisham's intention for them to be wed. 
However, all is not as it seems and Pips 'Great Expectations' take a harsh demotion in light of the reappearance of an unwelcome character who reveals oneself as Pips benefactor. Pip is also made privy to the fact that he was never intended for Estella, whom has agreed to marry another man, Pip's rival. It is revealed that Estella has been taught to use men for the sole purpose of exacting revenge for her mothers past betrayal and feels she is incapable of love. 

For this body of work I will be focusing on the concept of 'Gothic' and the characters Miss Havisham and Estella who I will both be creating a look for appropriate towards a selected motion media format. 

The Character I will be focusing on first is Miss Havisham, So I decided to look at adaptations of the novel in order to see how various Miss Havisham's have been portrayed.

BBC TV Adaptation (2011)

Movie still from Great Expectations (2011)
Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham
http://kpitalrisk.free.fr/images/stars/16000/s_martita.jpg

In the 2011 BBC adaptation of Great Expecations the character of Miss Havisham was portrayed by Gillian Anderson. There are elements of this portrayal I both admire and dislike. I respect how Miss Havisham is portrayed by a fairly young actress, as I find it to be a fairly accurate depiction considering Miss Havisham at the time she met Pip would have roughly in her late 30's, early 40s. Gillian Anderson, 43, is in fact the youngest actress to play this role. I like how a reasonably accurate actress has been used in terms of age but signs of neglect and perhaps premature ageing have used for example, the chapping of the lips, the way her complexion appears incredibly pale and sallow and the fact her hair is completely white. on the other hand, I find Gillian Anderson's performance in this role to have a little too much energy, where I consider Miss Havisham to be a frail, ill-natured woman. 

West End Stage Production (2013)

Photograph from Great Expectations,
The West End Production (2013)
Paula Wilcox as Miss Havisham
http://www.greatexpectationstheplay.com/gallery.php

This rendition of the character Miss Havisham is by far my favourite. The Make up and Hair is very exaggerated to make it suitable for the theatre. I adore the strong contouring of the face to suggest a sullen, sunken in complexion caused perhaps by malnourishment and lack of sunlight. I equally adore the use of a matte black lip, which I feel also exudes a notion of decay which I find extremely intriguing and quite menacing, which I think is exactly how Miss Havisham should be perceived by her audience. I equally feel the shadowing round the eyes gives a a very dark and miserable feel to the look and suggests a less than stable state of mind and body.

Film Adaptation (1946)

Movie still from Great Expectations (1946)
Martita Hunt as Miss Havisham
http://kpitalrisk.free.fr/images/stars/16000/s_martita.jpg

In the 1946 black and white film, Argentinian born actress Martita Hunt was cast in the role of Miss Havisham. The aspect of this representation I find most alluring is the hair styling, I find the hair looks as if it truly has been in the same style for several years and has gradually become matted and loose over time. I love how it gives the character a slight air of 'batty-ness' but not too much as to sway the audience in to viewing solely in one light. I personally Martita's make up styling to be quite youthful in comparison to some of the other portrayals, her skin hasn't been drastically aged or weathered and her contouring is very faint. I almost find her complexion to be too perfect for someone who has been locked up in the same room for years on end. 

Practical: Theatrical Aging

When you consider working for film, television and performing arts as a make up artist there are elements of special effects you will be need to know how to complete. for example..cuts, bruising, ill complexion, old age. 

Today I will be outlining my work in theatrical ageing. Theatrical ageing is an exaggerated way of making a perfumer look elderly to the extent that it could be seen from the back of an audience of theatre. This type of make up is not subtle and would not be suitable for film or television work. 

Items you will commonly need:
- Black Stipple Sponges
- Fine Orange stipple sponges
- Supra Colour Palette
- Old Age Stipple (Always patch test)
- Barrier foam (to protect the skin)
- Hair spray (Kryolan is most cost effective)

If you are using grease based products, which I did, then moisturise the skin first.

To apply theatrical ageing:
- Tie all hair off the face 
- Apply a light natural foundation base to the face including the lips, a shade lighter than you would normally go for
- Ask your model to hold facial expressions to reveal natural crease lines
- Whilst your model holds these faces, using a fine angled brush paint lines in to these creases using a mid brown or grey tone
- Gradually build these lines up
- Add some contouring to areas where the face naturally goes in i.e the cheekbones and around the eyes
- Using your thumb gently smudge these lines to give them more of a natural look
- Using your supra colour palette, mix a tiny amount of yellow in to white and brush through the eyebrows using a clean mascara wand.
Important note: white alone can often come out slightly blue on camera!
- using a mixture of red supra colour with a tiny amount of blue, stipple on to the cheeks lightly to give the impression of broken veins 
- If you want to give the impression of decay, apply some coloured tooth enamel to the teeth using a baby bud. to remove, use a baby bud dipped in mentholated spirit to wipe away. 

I am really pleased with my attempt at theatrical ageing, above. I feel like it actually looks quite convincing. However if this was intended for the theatre or a live performance, the effect would need to be further emphasised as people on the back rows would not be able to see as well and the effects would be lost. I think the eyebrows brushed with the white supra colour actually bring the whole looks together and finish it off very genuinely. I equally feel like I've mixed together a very natural tone of brown that suits my models complexion. 

How to Crepe the skin

- Apply Barrier shield to the skin to protect the skin more sensitivity or staining

- Stretch the area of skin out so it appears super smooth and wrinkle free

- whilst stretched out, apply old age stipple using a sponge making sure to stipple it on to the skin to avoid any harsh lines

- Using a hairdryer on its cool setting, move the air over the area of skin constantly moving to avoid pooling the liquid

- Allow to completely dry

- Once dried, release the skin to reveal the bunching of the skin and the allusion of wrinkles

Practical: Early Victorian Hairstyle

During my seminar this week I tried my hand at creating two typical victorian hairstyles, one early period and one mid period. 

My intended style is like the one seen in this portrait of Miss Agnes Strickland, date unknown, featuring a mid height knot, centre parting and tight 'drop curls' on either side of the head. 

Portrait of Agnes Strickland
http://tinyurl.com/pu5973n

This is how I created the style: 

1. Begin by sectioning the hair. draw a line down the centre of the head using the nose a judgment point to create a centre parting. from the back to just behind the ear, section off and clip out of the way. Repeat on each side. 

2. Take the loose hair at the back of the head, tie into a ponytail using a hairband in a medium to ugh position. Twist the hair and coil around itself then secure with bobby pins. Use Hairspray to avoid any fly away hairs. 

3. Taking long thing sections, starting at the front of the head, curl section of hair approximately an inch wide inwards towards the face. trying to tuck the ends in to create a nice neat curl. When you have released the curl from the tong, do not separate with your fingers.

I think to improve this look and make it look more traditional, the curls needed to be tighter and more structured. On the side view you can see little pieces out of place and falling away. I also thing my curls needed to start further down nearer the ears and the hair needed to be smoother to the head at the top. I also feel that although the parting is very straight, its not central and thus makes it look a little modernised which wasn't what i was intending. 

I moved on from this to create a slightly later, mid century victorian style that incorporated a plait. The Process for this was the same, I just brushed out the curls and left my sectioning as it was. 

1. Taking all the loose hair from one side, pull it forward towards the face and plait conventionally. 

2. Holding the plait flat against the face, loop it so some of the ear can be seen and secure at the nape of the neck or incorporate in to the knot with bobby pins. 

My first attempt at this looked a bit sloppy and didn't seem to sit right when I tried to incorporate it in to the rest of the style. 

My second attempt however looked much better and seemed to look a lot more traditional than the first attempt. I had managed to rectify this by starting my plaiting further down the hair just by the ear.

What about the Hair!?! - Late Victorian Hair Styling

From what Ive researched, the later years of the victorian period saw a radical difference compared to styles worn in the earlier half of the century. The Photography below has captured illustrations of late Victorian styles dating 1865 to 1875.

Photo of Page 46
'A History of Hairstyles' Jean Keyes
p.1967 Methuen

Studying these illustrations I can see similarities and differences between early victorian styles. For starters I can see that curls still feature heavily but are more varied and appear more wave and tendril like in style, give a looser more relaxed feel. In most variations at least some of the hair is left loose. Unlike earlier styles the volume of these styles has been moved to the top of the head rather than at the side of the head. Less tightly coiled waves are introduced in many of these variations at the back of the neck and around the face where small fringes have been cut. The idea of longer ringlets is supported by Jean Keyes who states 'longer ringlets were fashionable again' and enforces the fact that these were often adorned with ribbons, flowers and even ostrich feathers. 

(Jean Keyes,'A History of Hairstyles', p.1967 Methuen)

A popular style during the 1870's featured some hair 'cascading down the back' in ringlets whilst the remaining hair was swept on top of the head and secured with pins. The Pompadour also gained popularity by 1880s, a style influenced by Madame De Pompadour, where the hair was swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead. A wide variety of this style was often worn by victorian ladies known as the 'Gibson Girl' Hairstyle where women would 'roll their hair over a "rat" made from human or horse hair'.

(Victoria Sherrow, 'Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History', p. 2006 Greenwood Press)

Portrait of the Gibson Girl style
Penned by Dana Gibson
Circa 1890s
http://tinyurl.com/kp26o7m

Key features of Victorian Hairstyling throughout the Victorian Era

Early

- Centre parting

- Hair smoothed to the scalp to the temples

- Volume of curls at the sir of the head

- Structured 'Drop curls'

- Hair is tight, kept close to the headMid
- Plaits are introduced
- Top knots become smaller and move further back and down the head
Late
- Looser curls, more wave and tendril like
- More adornment in the hair
- Hairstyles are generally more elaborate
- Centre Parting is much less common
- Short fringes at the front of the face are introduced
- The volume of the hair is focused on top of the head
- Padding is used to create voluminous Gibson style 

What about the Hair!?! - Early Victorian Hair Styling

Queen Victoria reigned on the British thrown from 1837 to 1901, an unusually long reign which meant traditions in costume and beauty had room to expand and development over the era. This included Hair styling. 

At the beginning of the century women's hair aimed to create a feminine look that suggested an 'oval or round shaped face'. During this period very long thick hair was admired and desirable so women of this age did not cut their hair. Particularly during the earliest part of the period women wore 'at least part of the hair' loose, often in what were called 'drop curls'. Hair was most commonly parted in the centre of the head and the hair would be smoothed the scalp to the temples. 

As you can see in these illustrations taken from 'A History of Women's Hairstyles' by Jean Keyes, the hair most noticeable parted at the centre of the head with hair and smoothed until the emergence of voluminous 'drop curls' which appear at the side of the head in clusters.

Early Victorian Hairstyles
Photograph of Page 40
 'A History of Women's Hairstyles' by Jean Keyes p. 1967

between 1840 and 1860, the Apollo knot was considered rather fashionable. The Apollo knot was often constructed at top of the head towards the back accompanied by by curls at the side of the head. An example of an Apollo knot can be seen below in this painting.

Portrait of Eugenie Hortense Auguste Napoleon by Joseph Stieler
c. 1826
http://tinyurl.com/p974mle

This is a typical example of an early Victorian style featuring an Apollo knot. I can see the subject of the painting has traditionally long hair which has been plaited or twisted many times to form a knot of the top of the head. The hair has also been parted centrally and mounds of curls have been kept close to the side of the head near the ears. 

During the mid century top knots 'became smaller and moved further back on the head. It is also said that braiding became more popular with women wearing braids 'pinned neatly at the nape of the neck'. 

From what Ive read accessories were very simple, if worn at all, many women during the daytime wore their hair inside a net or beneath a hat which often dictated the placement of their style specifically the Apollo knot. 

Early Victorian Hairstyles
Photograph of Page 42
 'A History of Women's Hairstyles' by Jean Keyes p. 1967

Mid century the centre parting and curls around the fave remained popular, one of the main differences between early mid century hair styles was the positioning of knots or chignons 'lower down the head as the Victorian era continued'. When you consider the illustrations of mid century styles above compared to the Apollo knot seen in the portrait dated 1826 earlier in this post, I can definitely see that features of the styles have remained the same i.e the centre parting, smoothed down hair and bunches of curls at the side of the head, yet the positioning of the top knot or chignon has quite drastically changed and featured much lower of the head and perhaps looks more relaxed. 

(Victoria Sherrow, 'Encyclopeida of Hair: A cultural History' p. 2006, Greenwood Press)

Project Introduction - Victorian Ideals of Beauty

This project is centred around the Victorian period, an age I personally knew very little about. When I tried to picture a typical Victorian woman, I struggled for any reference from previous schooling or even ideas from contemporary reenactments.  So, for this project I think it's safe to say I'm starting with a blank slate. 

So what did Victorian women look like? Or aspire to look like?

From my reading Ive acquired the knowledge that at the turn of the century a decline in the 'extravagance' of clothing continued and influenced the cosmetic look in to the 19th century. 'Large dark eyes added expressive emphasis to a pale-complexioned face'.

Women of Society appeared 'light boned and pretty' to emphasise the masculinity of their escorts and its said that an 'elegant appearance' was most favourable to gentleman. Upon my initial inspection of this period it seems very clear that the look of the time was very down played, natural and emphasised felinity in a subtle manner. 

Although the use of cosmetics does seem to play a part in a women's appearance as 'Sparing use of rouge and powder' is said to have enhanced the complexion which outlines to me that elements of colour and cosmetics were used but in a very subtle manner that perhaps accentuated a woman's natural beauty rather dramatising features with bright colours which were considered 'vulgar'. 

Cosmetics themselves during the Victorian period encouraged the use of natural ingredients, a new approach that aimed to improve and emphasise the 'natural condition of the skin' instead of camouflaging flaws which was very much the norm in the previous century. 

In 1825 'The Art of Beauty' was published anonymously. Having been released just before Victoria's reign this book detailed the new approach to fashionable cosmetics. It dictated that 'subtle rouge' was recommended for the cheeks, but lip colour was deemed 'undesirable'. These rouges were often made from ingredients such as red sandalwood, cochineal and saffron mixed with talc powder which suggest to me that the finish of the victorian face was very matte. 

(Fenja Gunn, 'The Artifical Face: A History of Cosmetics' 1973 p. David & Charles)

Visual sources from this era support what I have read of how women of society in the Victorian age presented themselves. Take for example 'The Portrait of Mrs.Walters' painted by George Frederik Watt c.1840s, early victorian reign. It is clear from the fact that women is of ugh standing due to the fact that her portrait has been commissioned and only women of society and money would have been able to afford this luxury. Mrs Walters has a fair complexion which is brightened by the use of subtle yet visible rouge to the cheeks which corroborates my reach so far. Her lips are natural looking, but perhaps more red toned than one would consider natural and perhaps some lip colour, which leads me to what to investigate further whether lip colour was widely used or not despite being considered "undesirable". Other features of this portrait I notice are the eyebrows and the proportion of the lips. I notice that the eyebrows are visible yet not clearly defined, again an emphasis of the idealised natural look of the victorian period. I also notice that the subjects lips appear very small, disproportionate to her eyes which appear very large and dark. It appears to me that not intentional effort has been made to distort or highlight any specific features of the face but to emphasise the subjects natural beauty and features. 

'The Portrait of Mrs.Walters' c.1840s
Painted by George F Watts
http://tinyurl.com/ohf7q2b

Further in to Fenja Gunn's 'The Artificial Face' the author states that the 'Victorian Image of Beauty' was reminiscent of the 'innocent face of a China doll' with a 'rosebud mouth, dimpled cheeks' and 'small neat features'. The term 'rosebud mouth' further intrigues me as again it seems the women of this age seemed to go for a tone of lip that was an emphasis on the natural hue of the lips rather than a completely bare one. I found some light on this slightly sketchy subject further in to the chapter which states that lip salves 'cunningly concealed a touch of carmine'. Carmine being a bright-red compound derived from insects would have vastly coloured the lips but with the addition of a salve base convinces me that this would have come across very naturally and further emphasised this idea of looking like a china doll, youthful, elegant and pretty. 

Example of a typical China Doll
http://tinyurl.com/mhg3uex

From this research Ive discovered that the Ideals of Victorian Beauty were as follows;

- A pale complexion

- Minimal use of cosmetics

- Subtle rouge to the cheeks and lips to emphasise youth and femininity

- Small neat features

- Elegance & a look of youth were desirable traits

- Expressive eyes

- Groomed but undefined brows

I personally really love the idea that the typical Victorian woman idealised the look of a china doll, capturing the essence of childhood and youth, almost trying to preserve their own.