Cavendish Morton

“ I have often thought that the appeal to the brain through the sense of seeing is stronger than that through the sense of hearing. I have been brought to this conclusion by the fact that people are deeply moved by the contemplation of a play in a language that they are totally ignorant of, or by the dumb show of a pantomime.
Is not half the battle won when one perfectly physically realises the character to be impersonated? ”

“ As violently, as hasty powder fired
Doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb.
Apothecary. Such mortal drugs I have; but Mantua's law
Is death to any he that utters them.
Romeo. Art thou so bare, and full of wretchedness,
And fear'st to die? famine is in thy cheeks;
Need and oppression starveth in thy eyes;
Contempt and beggary, hang upon thy back,
The world is not thy friend, nor the world's law
The world affords no law to make thee rich ”

“ When we consider the materials, we realise that the art of make-up is more or less allied to the art of the painter; although the kinship may not be of a very intimate character. It resembles in many particulars coloured statuary, with this great difference, that in the case of the actor the statue is alive.
If the student were to have a bust of himself accurately modelled by a sculptor and were to apply the various articles of make-up to it, he would get almost precisely the same effects that he would get from his own face, minus, of course, the ability to change its expression. ”

“ Perhaps the very man that you require is standing in some dim canvas only waiting for you to make him live again.
Remember that each period of history had its distinctive types. Think of the people of Gainsborough, of Velasquez, the portraits of Holbein and of Dürer.
If you are to present a man of an alien race, try and give him his national peculiarities without offering his country the insult of burlesquing them. I think it is a sign of decadence of our stage that we strive to heap ridicule on almost every type that is not a product of our own land. ”

“ White is rubbed into the cheeks in the shape of high lights to broaden the appearance of the face. A triangular shadow painted on the under part of the nose makes this feature seem to tilt upward. The eyebrows are almost entirely obliterated with thick grease paint, as also are the eyelashes. The small perpendicular lines at the ends of the eyes seem to reduce their size. The corners of the mouth are extended with paint, and the tight-fitting wig drawn well over the forehead seems, while it diminishes the size of the head, to make the face appear larger. ”

“ To resume your real self is a matter of little difficulty, and yet it may be helpful to have a method suggested.
Begin by removing parts of the clothing, as it unquestionably would be soiled in the dirty process of removing the make-up.
First take off the wig, next the moustache, then the beard; carefully remove the false nose, or any other modelling in relief, for if they are preserved with care they may be used repeatedly. Next, with a small quantity of oil, or any other grease that may be preferred, soften the grease-paint slightly and remove it with a towel. ”

“ If I were sawed into quantities, I should make four dozen of such bearded hermit's staves as Master Shallow. It is a wonderful thing to see the semblable coherence of his men's spirits and his. They, by observing of him, do bear themselves like foolish justices; he, by conversing with them, is turned into a justice-like serving-man. Their spirits are so married in conjunction with the participation of society, that they flock together in consent, like so many wild geese. ”

“ To the born actor his art is a delightful pastime. All his observations of art and life augment his knowledge of character and his ability to portray emotion.
The less gifted should study perpetually. The world is full of odd volumes in strange and interesting bindings. To the student of make-up the binding is of no less interest than the matter within.
Try to store vivid recollections of the distinctive types; collect caricatures and prints; they will be most suggestive and helpful. ”

“ The mask of white destroys the distinctions of colour, race, or station. He may be emotionally, all things to all men.
Most professional clowns cover their faces with a mixture of pure oxide of zinc and lard, and then powder thickly with dry oxide of zinc. This is the method that I adopt. Some may prefer to first paint the face with white grease paint and then powder with the zinc.
The lips are painted with carmine. The eyes are outlined with black, and the eyebrows are definitely drawn. A spot of carmine is placed at the inner corner of each eye. ”

“ When you look as much like the part as you possibly can without the aid of artificial disguise, begin to apply nose paste, paint and powder. Obliterate one characteristic and accentuate another. Alter the shape of your nose, paint your eyebrows out and redraw them, altering their form. Change the colour of the skin. Cover eyelashes and lips with paint and note the difference. Put shadows round the eyes, sinister lines running from the nostrils. ”

“ I have known an actor to strive for almost the same delicacy of detail as would be found in a highly finished portrait, and although the illusion from the front of the house was not positively wrong, much of his work was never realised; in fact with one quarter the effort he could have produced a result which would have been infinitely more telling.
Doubtless many who read this book will have had a wide experience in making up, and will have cultivated preferences for one selection of materials or another. ”

“ The prominences of the forehead and cheek bones are next accentuated with nose-paste (Fig. 1) .
The wig is placed in position and the forehead made up with a ground work of 2-1/2, yellow, and 13, a flesh colour that should suggest parchment. The wig is then removed until the make-up is almost finished. This keeps it from becoming soiled.
Covering the face with groundwork is the next step. A sunken appearance is given to the eyes by painting round them with brown. Shadows are worked into the cheeks. Lines are drawn from the inner corners of the eyes down on to the cheeks. ”

“ Out of the illustrative gestures and actions of the players are pictures formed which each new phase of the unfolding of the play destroys. Joy gives place to grief, and grief to joy, gentleness to rage, and love to hate. ”

“ Use as many as possible to suggest extreme old age, being always mindful that the intentions of nature are not ignored. Be careful that the lines on the face are not drawn in too decisive a manner, as at a distance they seem much stronger than they really are. The modelling tool is most suitable for the drawing and the subsequent modification of the wrinkles. It may be also used for applying the more delicate high lights. Each wrinkle should be accentuated with a light just above it. Fig. 2 shows the make-up at a stage when it is ready for the addition of the moustache and beard. ”

“ The modelling should be carefully finished with the fingers and a modelling tool until no juncture is observable. In fact it should seem to be part of the face. Plenty of groundwork spread all over the actual flesh and the parts that have been built out brings the whole face into accord.
The nose paste can be used for altering the shape of the nose either by making the bridge more prominent, the end longer, and this increase in its length may be made in any direction either up or down. The nostrils fuller, in fact, the whole nose may be covered, and its shape and size entirely changed. ”

“ When ordering the wig even a very rough sketch will prove of great assistance to the wig-maker.
The beard is also a great help in changing the shape of the face. The chin may be strengthened or modified by a suitable arrangement of the hair.
A great double chin of padded silk is sometimes worn round the neck, but this is only convincing when the chin is slightly bearded. ”

“ The actual work of making up must fall under the two headings of Form and Colour. We will consider first
COLOUR
The colour of a man's skin, or his complexion, may be indicative of his nationality or race. For example, consider the distinctive colourings of the English, Italians, Japanese, Indians, or Africans. It may suggest his age. For youth has its own peculiar freshness; the healthy meridian of life is florid, while pallor comes with old age. We may also vividly realise temperament from the tint of the skin. The sad, the morbid, and the mean are usually sallow ”

“ Men who study assiduously a certain branch of the animal kingdom sometimes grow to look more or less like the things they contemplate.
This etymologist has cultivated a family resemblance to the insects that he studies.
The inquisitive eyes and the impertinent nose might well become a mosquito.
The nose is elongated with nose-paste.
The groundwork of No. 3 is used. The shadows and wrinkles are of lake mixed with a little blue. The high lights are of pale yellow. The eyebrows are of grey made by mixing black and white paint. The eyelashes are thickly coated with white. ”

“ Unless you suffer from very definite physical or vocal limitations, strive not to get grooved in your work. Do not repeat yourself over and over again in each new part that you play.
Remember that the number of types in the world is infinite; that the playwright is always striving to present to the public some new character.
Ever add to your knowledge, and recollect that work is life's great recompense. Thank God your toil is endless.
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ILLUSTRATIONS KING LEAR
Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! ”

“ Another reason was, that as the photographer who was to produce the prints, I could always depend upon the attendance of the model. I was sure that I could always induce myself to patiently pose before my own camera.
The taking of the photographs has been fraught with [9] considerable difficulty. The playing of the dual rôle of actor and photographer seems to have cultivated two distinct personalities—personalities who I am sure felt the liveliest interest one for the other; in fact nothing ever came between us but the camera. ”

“ He knows that no new thing may be created, so he sifts the old, and selecting the best puts them together as children build with blocks.
He assembles with a perfection which sickens. Triumphant arch or wedding trousseau is arranged with equal facility. ”

“ If you possess even only a slight talent for drawing, cultivate it assiduously, for it is obvious that the actor who [29] can draw will be able to make-up better than the one who cannot.
Visit picture galleries and turn them into museums of types. I know of no other gallery that interests me so much as the National Portrait Gallery. ”

“ In adopting the following method in preparing to make-up, I have been actuated by a desire to preserve the health of my body, and as far as possible the wholesomeness of my skin.
Acting is sometimes such violent physical exercise that precautions should be taken against catching cold. ”

“ I can best express the admiration I feel for the work of my friend M. Gustav by calling attention to the perfection of the wigs that appear in the following prints. I believe that he has brought wig-making to a pitch never realised before. Much of the effectiveness of my impersonations is in no small measure due to his sympathy and skill. ”

“ Then you increase your speed. When the boy calls "Overture," if you are not almost dressed you tell your dresser with more decision than taste that you know that you will be off. "First-act beginners" means a bad-tempered rush for the stage, and the struggle with final buttons on your way. ”