[Sca-librarians] Book review: artifice of beauty

[Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise]

About 3 weeks ago I finally got a copy of Sally Pointer's The Artifice 
of Beauty. I'd been putting it off because I'd been broke since it came 
out. Well... I'm in love. After the first 20 pages, I wanted to give up 
teaching in the SCA and just save up to hand out copies of it. 

Sally Pointer. The Artifice of Beauty: A History and Practical Guide to 
Perfumes and Cosmetics. Sutton Publishing, 2005.

While there are many books out on cosmetics, perfumes, and the history 
of adornment, there has been a dearth of well-researched, modern 
historical and archaeological studies with practical information. Sally 
Pointer, from the National Museum and Gallery of Wales, has written a 
text that fills that gap admirably. The depth and accuracy of the 
research, and the scholarly discussion, in The Artifice of Beauty, is 
combined with the re-creation experiences of a skilled museum curator. 
Anyone interested in researching and/or recreating fashion, material 
culture, or personal life in history should have this book in her or his 
library. Those interested in dabbling in homemade cosmetics and perfumes 
will also find it very useful.

Pointer first lays out "The Nature of the Evidence" in her introduction, 
then tackles the various ages of humankind in nine chronological 
chapters. While none is completely exhaustive-- the beauty regimens of 
the nineteenth century alone have filled multiple shelves of books-- 
each chapter provides a good groundwork for understanding cosmetics, 
perfumes, and ideas of beauty in the period. Her strongest suit is in 
the early evidence, Ancient World and Classical world sections, but 
those areas have previously been the subject of much archaeology but 
little reliable summary. Her information about the medieval through the 
seventeenth centuries is a treasure trove of facts and quotations.

Of special interest is Pointer's analyses of possible make-up trends 
based on pictoral representations of people in the period. Were pink 
cheeks admired? Highly accented eyes? What color of hair was in fashion. 
Information about hairpieces and false hair, washes, soap and other 
cosmetic preparations are also included. Sidebars cover specific items 
that Pointer herself has researched and recreated, such as a nail stain 
made from alkanet root, Roman wigs, Mesopotamian eye paints, 
alcohol-based Hungary Water, seventeenth century 'invisible rouge,' 18th 
century Carmelite water. Illustrations of advertisements highlight the 
later chapters. The text here is interesting as well as erudite, and 
Pointer carefully delineates her deductions and suppositions so that the 
reader can tell what is documented fact and what scholarly reasoning. 
Throughout, attention is paid to the safety of the ingredients 
discussed, and the possible and documented health effects on their 
users. Some facts-- such as a strange fashion in the nineteenth century 
for nipple-piercing and a selection of medieval mouthwashes-- will 
surprise the reader. Others, such as the utility of pomade for the hair, 
that the skin-destroying properties of ceruse (white lead) were known to 
the historic critics of 'painting', or that bathing and washing were 
done with some regularity in pre-modern periods, may explode some 
cherished myths.

After the text history, Pointer lays out "A Guide to Recreating Perfumes 
and Cosmetics, with Selected Recipes Adapted for Modern Use." The second 
section of the book is of interest not only to historians and 
re-enactors but to chemists, in that it consists of a glossary of 
cosmetic and perfume ingredients. While not exhaustive, especially with 
reference to more modern ingredients, this guide will be invaluable to 
those curious about Behen oil, Kohl, the elusive Nard, pomades, stacte, 
terebinth resin, etc. Here, also, are included a number of excellent 
recreated or redacted recipes. The next section covers Tools, Implements 
and Cosmetic Containers, with special attention to the pre-modern 
period.

One cannot overemphasize the importance of chapter 12, on Adapting Early 
Recipes to Modern Usage, for the recreator, re-enactor, or cosmetics 
student or dabbler. In this section Pointer lays out two historical 
recipes, one classical and one Victorian, and shows how she worked out 
safe, modern recipes for the items described. (For SCA purposes, these 
two recipes would be excellent guides for creating competitive 
documentation.) The painstaking work here, and the careful explanation 
of what changes and compromises the author felt necessary, are 
outstanding. This is supplemented by a table of Modern Cosmetic Pigments 
to assist the re-creator, a listing of Weights and Measures, as well as 
an Appendix listing ingredients mentioned by Classical Authors (compare 
to Forbes' Studies in Ancient Technology volume 3) and "Abdeker's 
Library of the Toilet, 1754." The index, notes and bibliography are easy 
to read and useful.

I highly recommend this text for personal and library collections. 
Libraries with an interest in personal care, women's history, cosmetic 
chemistry, fashion, pre-modern culture, hobby herbalism, and historic 
costume and medieval culture will find this an especially helpful 
introduction.


-- 
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net 
"History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it screams
'Why don't you ever listen to me?' and lets fly with a club."