Face Patches

Face patches became the height of fashion among the Ladies of the Court of England in the 17th and 18th centuries. These patches were made of black velvet or taffeta and patch boxes were carried so that ladies could replace fallen patches.  They were first used to cover small imperfections, such as pock marks or pimples but then, like any fad, they took on a life of their own. Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" was the ideal of fair-haired, fair skinned beauty of the time and  rumor had it that Venus was born with a natural beauty spot on her cheek and that to have such a mark served to make one more beautiful....

Trends in fashion and beauty are cyclical. Will this fashion come around again? Although odd, it seems relatively benign compared to some of the procedures and affectations of current times...
                                                      
                                                   from "The Book of Days",  1832:

an early wood-cut

~The earliest mention of the adoption of patching by the ladies of England, occurs in Bulwer's Artificial Changeling (1653). "Our ladies," he complains, "have lately entertained a vain custom of spotting their faces, out of an affectation of a mole, to set olf their beauty, such as Venus had; and it is well if one black patch serves to make their faces remarkable, for some fill their visages full of them, varied unto all manner of shapes and figures."


~Samuel Pepys has duly recorded his wife's first appearance in patches, which seems to have taken place without nis concurrence, as three months afterwards he makes an entry in his Diary: 'My wife seemed very pretty to-day, it being the first time I had given her leave to wear a black patch.' And a week or two later, he declares that his wife, with two or three patches, looked far handsomer than the Princess Henrietta. Lady Castlemaine, whose word was law, decreed that patches could not be worn with mourning; but they seem to have been held proper on all other occasions, being worn in the afternoon at the theatre, in the parks in the evening, and in the drawing-room at night. Puritanical satirists, of course, did not leave the fair patchers unmolested. One Smith printed An Invective against Black Spotted Faces, in which he warned them—

an ideal beauty of the day...

"Hellgate is open day and night                       
 To such as in black spots delight. 
 If pride their faces spotted make, 
 For pride then hell their souls will take. 
 If folly be the cause of it, 
 Let simple fools then learn more wit. 
 Black spots and patches on the face 
 To sober women bring disgrace. 
 Lewd harlots by such spots are known, 
 Let harlots then enjoy their own."

Fashion, however, as usual, was proof against the assaults of rhyme or reason, and spite of both, the ladies continued to cover their faces with black spots. When party-feeling ran high in the days of Anne, we have it on  authority, that politically-minded dames used their patches as party symbols: the Whigs patching on the right, and the Tories on the left side of their faces, while those who were neutral, decorated both cheeks. 'The censorious say that the men whose hearts are aimed at, are very often the occasion that one part of the face is thus dishonoured and lies under a kind of disgrace, while the other is so much set-off and adorned by the owner; and that the patches turn to the right or to the left according to the principles of the man who is most in favour. But whatever may be the motives of a few fantastic coquettes, who do not patch for the public good so much as for their own private advantage, it is certain that there are several women of honour who patch out of principle, and with an eye to the interests of their country. Nay, I am informed that some of them adhere so steadfastly to their party, and are so far from sacrificing their zeal for the public to their passion for any particular person, that in a late draught of marriage-articles, a lady has stipulated with ner husband that whatever his opinions are, she shall be at liberty to patch on which side she pleases.'

This was written in 1711, and in 1754 the patch was not only still in existence, but threatening to overwhelm the female face altogether. A writer in the World for that year says: 'Though I have seen with patience the cap diminishing to the size of a patch, I have not with the same unconcern observed the patch enlarging itself to the size of a cap. It is with great sorrow that I already see it in possession of that beautiful mass of blue which borders upon the eye. Should it increase on the side of that exquisite feature, what an eclipse have we to dread! out surely it is to be hoped the ladies will not give up that place to a plaster, which the brightest jewel in the universe would want lustre to supply. . . . All young ladies, who find it difficult to wean themselves from patches all at once, shall be allowed to wear them in whatever number, Bize, or figure they please, on such parts of the body as are, or should be, most covered from sight And any lady who prefers the simplicity of euch ornaments to the glare of her jewels, shall, upon disposing of the said jewels for the benefit of the foundling or any other hospital, be permitted to wear as many patches on her face as she has contributed hundreds of pounds to so laudable a benefaction, and so the public be benefited, and patches, though not ornamental, be honourable to Bee.'

And from "The Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist", 1880

"...we may well fancy that the first "patches" would be bits of " court plaster," the necessary appliances to a pimpled or " broken out " face. The ladies themselves, however, with their usual and highly commendable ingenuity, asserted that as Venus herself had a mole on her cheek, which added a fresh charm to her beauty, they wore, as lineal descendants of her loveliness, these patches as artificial beauty-spots...

...Thus, if in the first instance, a pimple or other disfigurement appearing on the face was, of necessity, covered with a small plaster—possibly cut into an ornamental form for appearance sake—and this occurred with some "highborn dame " or leader of ton, the fashion would at once be " set" and imitators would increase and multiply in every rank of society, each outdoing another in novelty, form, number, and position of the so-called beauty-spots...


...Prefixed to a curious work, called "A Wonders of Wonders, or a Metamorphosis of Fair Faces into Foul Visages; an invective against black-spotted faces," written in the reign of James the First, by one R. Smith, is a short poem " On Painted and Spotted Faces," in which, alluding to the shapes of the patches, the following lines occur :—

the wearing of patches was not limited to the Ladies...

"And yet the figures emblematic are,               
Which our she wantons so delight to weare. 
The Coach and Horses with the hurrying wheels, 
Show both their giddy brains and gadding heels; 
The Cross and Crosslets in one face combined, 
Demonstrate the cross humours of their mind; 
The Bra's of the bowls doth let us see, 
They'll play at rubbers, and the mistresse bo; 
The Rings do in them the black art display, 
That spirits in their circles raise and lay; 
But, oh ! the sable Starrs that you descry 
Benights their day, and speaks the darkened sky. 
The several Moons that in their faces range, 
Eclipse proud Proteus in his various change; 
The long slash and the short denote the skars, 
Their skirmishes have gaind in Cupid's wars. 
For those, that into patches clip the Crown, 
"f is time to take such pride and treason down. 



...from " The Burse of Reformation" (and "Wit Restored"), 1658, :

Heer patches are of every art 
  For pimples and for searrs; 
Heer's all the wandring planett signes, 


  And some o' th' fixed starrs, 
Already gumm'd, to make them stick, 


  They need no other sky, 
Nor starrs, for Lilly for to vew, 
  To tell your fortunes by. 


in "Beauties' Warning-piece, or Advice to the Fair", 1680

"But fair one know your glass is run, 
Your time is short, your thread is spun, 
Your spotted face, and rich attire 
Is fuell for eternal fire. "


from "A True Satire " —

"Come you Ladies that do wear 
More Fashions than Sundays in the Year: 
With your Locks, Ribbond-knots, and silk Roses; 
With your Spots on your face and your noses 
Your bare breasts and your back, discover what you lack, 
          Come along, come along, I must lash you. "


*gasp* Lashing for a fashion faux-pas? Seems a mite severe....

"The Birth of Venus", Botticelli

The Art of Beauty~ Ovid

"Prolonging our charms" with a little help from the Ancients. Well worth a read for the recipes it contains and also for the timeless wisdom that a cheerful countenance is the most beautiful of all...
The recipes contain ingredients commonly used in cosmetic preparations such as honey, egg white, frankincense and spelt(wheat germ oil?).  Other ingredients include hartshorn(the horns, or antlers, of the male red deer), narcissus bulb, vetch and lupine... a quick search on narcissus tells me that an extract of the bulb is being used in anti-aging preparations. I can't find anything on the use of deer antler in cosmetic preparations...!
Gosh, I wish I had some servants to assist me at my toilet! Then I could lay the blame elsewhere...:)


From "The Toilet and Cosmetic Arts in Ancient and Modern Times", by Arnold James Cooley, 1866:


"The fashionable ladies of Rome carried artificial styles of dress and ornament to an excess which has no parallel in modern times. They spent large sums of money and a considerable portion of their time in the articles and operations of their toilet, and particularly in their baths, as hereafter noticed.* Lengthy descriptions of the details connected with them have been given by several ancient authors, which exhibit a degree of folly, vanity, and voluptuousness, scarcely compatible with the commonly-received opinion of the Roman character. Among the higher classes each department of the toilet had its particular operations. Each portion of the body, even each limb, separately commanded attention; and to every one of these duties was assigned a separate servant or slave. The capriciousness of the female taste and temper were, perhaps, never exhibited in a more unfavourable light than in the person of a Roman lady of distinction and fashion at her toilet."


                                                                                                   The Art of Beauty~ Ovid

Relief of Roman woman at her morning toilette

Once more, if fair, attend your master's song 

And learn what method will your charms prolong;

What happy art best recommends the race;
What heightens beauty; what preserves a grace. Art improves nature ; 'twas by art we found The vast advantage of the furrow'd ground; The soil raanur'd, a fruitful harvest bore,
Where thorns and hungry brambles grew before;
By art the gard'ner grafts his trees, to bear
A kinder fruit, and recompense his care. 10
A gilded roof delights our captive eyes,
And stately monuments the sight surprise, The sordid earth beneath the polis'd marble lies. The fleece may be with royal purple dy'd,
And India precious ivory provide,
To please your fancies, and supply your pride,

When Tatis rul'd the ancient Sabine race, Then, rough, and careless of a handsome face, The women took more pains to earn their bread
At plough and cart, than how to dress their head;
All day their task the busy matrons ply'd,
Or spinning sat, as to their distalfs ty'd. The mother then at night would fold the sheep
Her little daughter us'd by day to keep:
And, when at home, would cleave out logs of wood,
Or kindle up a tire to boil their food.

But you, by nature form'd in finer moulds,

 Must wrap your tender limbs in silken folds;

 Wear lawns and tissue, sleep in damask bet .,,

 And with gay knots and wires adorn your heads,

Your cars with pendents, lockets on your arms,
Besides a thousand other nameless charms;
Nor need this care to please a blush create : The men themselves have learn'd to dress of late.
You are not now particular in clothes, The husband and the bridegroom both are beaux,
Dress then, (and 'tis no sin to dress with art,)
For that's the way to wound the lover's heart.

Ev'n those that live remote in country town
Will dress their hair with flow'rs, and daisy crowns.
And deck and prank themselves to please the clowns.
Besides, all women take a secret pride
In being fine, (or else they are bely'd;)
For when the concious maid her glass explores,
And finds she's handsome, she herself adores.
Thus Juno's bird with silent pride will raise praise.
And spread his starry plumes, when e'er he meets with

This method will oblige our sex to love, 

And more that magic herbs their passion move.

 Trust not to philters, all such stuns forbear, 

 Nor try the venom of the lustful mare; 

'Tis all a jest—no snakes by such a force Enchanted burst,

 no rivers change their course:

 Nor can they make the moon from heaven descend

 Whate'er some superstitious fools pretend.

First learn good breeding, that I first advise; 

Good carriage oft the other wants supplies.

 For when ill-natur'd age shall rudely plough Injurious furrows on your wrinkl'd brow, 

You then perhaps may chide the tell-tale glass, 

 That shows the frightful ruins of your face:

 But if good humour to the last remain, 

Ev'en age may please, and love his force retain.

 Now on, my muse; and tell them, when they raife, 

When downy sleep forsakes their tender eyes,

 Mow they may look as fair as morning skies. 

Vetches and beaten barley let them take,

 And with the whites of eggs a mixture make, 

Then dry the precious paste with sun and wind,

 And into powder very gently grinds.

 Get hartshorn next, (but let it bethe first That creature sheds,)

 and beat it well to dust.

Six pounds in all; then mix and sift them well,
Aud think the while how fond Narcissus fell;
Six roots to you that pensive flower must yield, [peel'd.
To mingle with the rest, well bruis'd, and cleanly
Two ounces next of gum and thural seed,
That for the gracious gods does incense breed,
And let a double share of honey last succeed.
With this whatever damsel paints her face,
Will need no flatt'ring glass to show a grace.

Nor fear to break the lupine shell in vain,
Take out the seeds, then close it up again,
But do it quick, and grind both shell and grain.
Six pounds of each; take finest ceruse next,
With fleur-de-lis, and snow of nitre mix'd:
These let some brawny beater strongly pound
That makes the mortar with loud strokes resound,
Till just an ounce the composition's found.
Add next the froth of which the Halcyon builds
Her floating nest: a precious balm it yields,
That clears the face from freckles in a trice: Of this about three ounces may suffice.
But ere you use it, rob the lab'ring bee,
To fix the mass, and make the parts agree.
Then add your nitre, but with special care,
And take of frankincense an equal share :
Though frankincense the angry gods appease,
We must not waste it all their luxury to please.
To this put a small quantity of gum,
With so much myrrh as may the rest perfume.
Let these, well beat, be through a searce refin'd,
And see you keep the honey ail behind.

A handful too of well dry'd rose-leaves take,

 With frankincense and sal ammoniac; 

Of frankincense a double portion use; 

Then into these the oil of malt infuse.

 Thus in short time a rosy blush will grace, 

And with a thousand charms supply the face;

 Some too, in water, leaves of poppies bruise, 

And spread upon their cheeks the purple juice. 

How a Fashionable Woman is "made up" ~1869

From the book "The Women Of New York: UNDER-WORLD OF THE GREAT CITY.  ILLUSTRATING THE LIFE OF WOMEN OF FASHION, WOMEN OF PLEASURE, ACTRESSES AND BALLET GIRLS, SALOON GIRLS, PICKPOCKETS AND SHOPLIFTERS,  ARTISTS' FEMALE MODELS, WOMEN-OF-THE-TOWN, ETC., ETC., ETC."

By GEORGE ELLINGTON, 1869 


I have not read this book in entirety, but it sounds scintillating! from the preface:

"During the last few years many books have been written about New York—its secrets, mysteries and miseries—but no work so exhaustive or authentic as this has been offered the public. In it the women of the Metropolis are boldly and truthfully unveiled, and every phase of society is thoroughly ventilated. Where sin and immorality have tainted women in high life, and where fashionable wives and beautiful daughters have yielded to the enticer's arts, it tears the fictitious robes from their forms and reveals their habits of life, their follies and frailties. It may not be generally known that recruits for the army of prostitution are obtained from the higher classes; and not unfrequently the daughters of the wealthy—women who were once belles in society—may be found within the glittering palaces of crime in New York. Sketches of the lives of some of these are given, together with the methods employed to lure virtue into vice. Added to these, the lives of many actresses, women's rights champions, lady physicians and bouquet-girls in the city are fearlessly reviewed."

from CHAPTER VII~  HOW A FASHIONABLE WOMAN IS "MADE UP."

A carefully dressed fashionable woman is indeed a being " fearfully and wonderfully made." Consider the labor she has performed, the time spent and the material—its quantity, variety and shape—that is centred upon her. Reflect how many bones clasp her waist; the multitude of pins that flash and hold and defend her; the innumerable hooks and eyes that look out, catch hold and join to give strength, shape and comeliness to hosts of nameless things; the bands of steel that flaringly course about her; the cords that give tautness, and confidence, and supposed comfort; and the myriads of laces, and flowers, and jewels that ornament and add finish to the congress of prettiness. These are only a little of the untouched much. Although the masculine world is aware of this always mysterious and wonderful " make-up" of a woman, there are very few men who have thoroughly studied the subject in all its ramifications. They pay the piper, but they know not the kind or quality of goods which the said piper furnishes. Writers, too, alert for every "sensation" whereby an honest penny can be turned, have never treated the subject as a whole.

 It is a theme about which every one knows something, but no one knows everything. We propose, in this chapter, to show how a pretty woman is " made up" (as the common phrase is) from her head to her feet, and how much it costs to make her up. The information contained herein will be interesting to the married man, who will know how to appreciate his treasure when he sees how much it has cost him in the total; also to the single man contemplating matrimony, who is advised to take a good long look before he leaps and commits the fatal deed.

We have already touched on the subject of hair in a previous chapter. A few facts as to the prices may be of interest. There are four varieties of false hair, viz., the chignons or waterfalls, wigs, curls and switches.

The chignon is made of a wire-frame network, stuffed with short hair or other material. It costs from one to thirty dollars, according to size and material.

The wig is made of real human hair attached to a frame and network. It ranges in price from fifty to two hundred dollars, according to style and quality.

False curls are greatly in demand, either singly or in a mass. They are composed of real hair, artificially curled, and imitate Nature to a wonderful degree of perfection. A single curl costs from six to twenty dollars. A good head of curly hair of the reigning hue costs about one hundred and fifty dollars.

Rolls or puffs are composed of horse hair or short-clipped human hair, rolled and compressed together, over which the rest of the hair is displayed. The cost of rolls or puffs varies from twenty-five to fifty cents apiece and upward. Switches are composed of short hair plaited together, or of a string of hair as long as the length of the longest threads of the human hair, and cost (full sets) from five to one hundred dollars, according to the thickness and the depth.

Fashionable women are in the habit of shaving and clipping the little hair around the forehead, so as to give the hair in front a pointed appearance; and the brow, consequently, presents an arched look. The eyebrows are penciled or painted with India ink, which gives them a rather bluish appearance. The poudre subtile for uprooting the superfluous hair costs one dollar a bottle, while noir pelmdte, with three pencils of various thicknesses for the eyebrows, can be procured for two dollars and a half. For the eyes, our New York belle uses belladonna to give the upper part of the face a languishing,half-sentimental, half sensual look. To " get up" this same look costs two dollars and a half in money, and an hour in time. Sometimes this substance is dropped into the eye, when it has the effect to give that organ an eager and expressive look.

Reference has already been made in a previous chapter to the practice of enameling the face and bust, which is fast becoming common among some of our fashionable women. The business is carried on by a chiropodist of Broadway. Our illustration represents a scene in this " enameling studio." The process may be described as follows: The lady is first carefully examined with a microscope, and any rough hairs or fuzz which exist upon the cheek or bust are at once removed with liniment or plaster, medicated soap, scissors or tweezers. The cheeks or bust are then coated with a fine enamel, which is composed of arsenic or white lead and other ingredients made into a semi-paste. An ordinary coating will last for a day or two, but to render the operation of permanent value, the process must be repeated once or twice a week. The prices of enameling vary, but average about as follows : For enameling the face to last once or twice, from ten to fifteen dollars; for enameling theface and bust temporarily, from fifteen to twenty dollars; for enameling the face to endure one or two weeks, from fifteen to twentyfive dollars; for enameling the face and bust to last about the same period, from twenty-five to thirty-five dollars; for keeping the face for six months in an enameled condition, from two hundred to three hundred and fifty dollars ; for keeping the face and bust in the same state for the same length of time, from four hundred to six hundred dollars.

If " cheek" is a requisite in a man, much more so is it in a woman. A pretty woman without a pretty cheek is like a peach without a bloom. The belle of the period can get whatever complexion she wishes by the use of liquid rouge or vegetable rouge, which is not expensive, and is applied to the face through the medium of wool or flannel or a hare's foot. Bismuth is sometimes used, also prepared chalk and preparations containing mercury. Then there is the French paste which comes in pots, at one dollar a pot, and is much used by the theatre and opera people. Thirteen varieties of chalk and powder, eight varieties of paste and twenty-three kinds of washes are for sale by one dealer in cosmetics in New York. Common prepared chalk can be bought for from ten to twenty-five cents a package. A box of Meen Fun, a species of chalk, can be procured at one dollar a box; Lubin's liquid rouge is worth a dollar and a half a bottle; Orient, with two sponges, costs a dollar and a half; vegetable rouge costs from three to five dollars, while what is called the " Lady's Pocket Companion," or Portable Complexion, a box containing white and red, with puffs for the cheeks and pencils for the eyebrows, can be procured for two dollars. Ali these various articles cost but little when bought separately, but when it is considered that they have to be replenished often and several different assortments used, the aggregate amount is considerable. One lady estimates the cost of keeping up her complexion at one hundred and fifty dollars per annum.

The dentist is often brought in requisition to display his skill in the manufacture of false teeth, which range in price from twenty-five to two hundred dollars per set. His services, however, are not confined to the mouth alone ; he deals also with the fashionable female cheek, which he often fills out from the inside by means of hard composite pads, which are placed on each side of the mouth, running upward. These cheek-pads are called "plumpers," and cost from twenty-five to fifty dollars.

The figure of our New York woman is generally good, with the exception of that very important part, the bust. Cotton and horse-hair have long been used for the purpose of developing the "female form divine" in this particular direction, but artificial means of a more elaborate nature are oftentimes employed. Apparatus known as respirators—or "patent heavers," as they are sometimes called—are in vogue. These consist of a pair of rubber bags, which can be blown up like life-preservers, and when filled with air answer the purpose of the natural breast, so far as external purposes are concerned. They vary in price from five to ten dollars, and are manufactured to a considerable extent in the Bowery. The  perils of fashionable "shams" of this peculiar description were illustrated at a dinner-party given by a noted New York politician at his mansion on Fifth avenue. One of the ladies present was remarked for the exquisite proportions of her bust and the animation of her conversation. Those who sat near the lady suddenly heard, in the middle of the dinner and of some witty sally on her part, a sharp, small detonation, such as might be produced by the cracking open of a bean-pod. No one took any notice of the inexplicable sound; but it was observed that the lady became much less animated, that she kept one arm raised across her bosom, and fanned herself incessantly during the rest of the dinner, though the temperature of the dining-room was by no means too high. As soon as the company rose from the table, the lady, still fanning herself, suddenly disappeared; but, as certain sharp eyes among her rivals had caught sight of a diminished outline as she retreated from the sphere of vision, a good deal of suppressed merriment followed her disappearance. The lady's absence, however, was very short, for she returned to the drawing-room in the course of a few minutes, triumphant in the same plastic perfection that had excited so much admiration during the earlier part of the evening, and displayed all the aplomb and vivacity which had made her so charming. The screwing of the stopper through which the air is blown into the class of "fixtures" in question having been made this time sufficiently secure, the charms of Mrs. B underwent no further vicissitudes during the course of the evening.

The " Grecian bend " proper has ceased to be the rage, and is even going out of fashion. Still "traces of its lingering yet remain." Boots manufactured with unusually high heels, which necessarily throw the body forward, and bustles of a peculiar arrangement, are used to produce this monstrosity. The price of a "bend" is from ten dollars upward.

To supply the deficiency of plump, well-rounded arms, our fashionable lady has her sleeves padded, lined with cotton and wool. The padding is a cheap process, costing from nothing up to a few dollars, and is much in vogue for evening dresses.

The Italian women of high rank, in the olden time, painted the palms of their hands so as to produce a delicate effect. Our American ladies of the present day not only paint the hand, but powder it. They paint the veins so as to produce a delicate effect. Cream-paste is also applied to the hands. Blue penciling is done, and various French preparations used. The nails are regularly trimmed, cleaned and colored with a fine powder, applied with a brush. To keep the hand in proper trim costs about fifty dollars a year.

Corsets, having so much to do with the beauty of the female figure, are of course largely used. When the lady's waist is large and she wishes to reduce the size, the whalebone of the corsets is replaced by steel. Corsets are often padded about the waist and hips, so as to give those parts a rounded look. Corsets are of all qualities and shapes, and range in price from seventy-five cents to thirty dollars.

The subject of female limbs is a very delicate one, and we would pass it by, were it not that we are pledged to give a full and truthful account of how a woman is made up. False calves are very much used in New York by actresses, women of pleasure and women of fashion as well. They cost from seven to ten dollars, and are warranted to look in all respects like the natural limb, and in many respects a great deal better.

Not only are the ankles padded; when the knee is sharp and angular in its outline a pad is used. Large feet are made to look small by wearing shoes with the heel placed considerably forward. The high instep—the Spanish foot —can be procured at any bootmaker's for a consideration of twelve or fifteen dollars. Ladies' shoes of the very best quality, made to order, cost as high as twenty to twentyfive dollars. A certain actress boasts that she never wears "understandings" which cost less than thirty dollars.

Defects of a physical nature, which, at first sight. would seem to be irremediable, may be almost entirely concealed by the aid of appliances of machinery. A leading lady on Madison avenue, who has by nature one shoulder higher than the other, has, by art and her dressmaker, both shoulders of an exact height. Another lady, who resides in Twenty-second street, has one leg shorter than the other, but, by the art of her doctor and dressmaker, has this discrepancy entirely obviated in gait and appearance. Artificial eyes are common even among fashionable belles. It is sad to think that in the crowded party, the brilliantly-lighted ball-room, or at the opera, the eye that is beaming so softly and so brightly at us is only a glass eye after all; but such is frequently the stern fact.

All women of fashion, it may be remarked in conclusion, use artifice and deception in decorating the person. Age is no safeguard against the practice. There is a lady residing on the Avenue who is now eighty years of age, and who sixty years ago was a belle in metropolitan society. She fancies she is still the beauty she was once. She wears a wig, a set of false teeth, with plumpers, pads, a bustle, a Grecian bend, affects highlycolored French shoes, and almost half supports a cosmetic store on Broadway.

From what we have written in this chapter it will be seen how false the woman of the world can be, as far as outward appearance goes. We say nothing of the heart of the fashionable woman, if she possesses such an article ; we do not allude to the vows made and broken, the promises forgotten as soon as uttered, the good resolutions laughed at, the noble ambitions for a "surer, purer, sweeter life" thrust aside in the whirl of social excitement. Did we speak of the falsity of women as regards their heart and their inner life, we would not only tire the reader, but make him lose all faith in human nature, at least as far as women are concerned.