Theatre makeup through the ages

The arguably rather dull history of theatre makeup 

Earliest use 

The first uses of theatre makeup can be dated back to Greek times, when in a bid to stand out, Thespis, a Greek actor applied white lead and mercuric sulphide, despite them being toxic, to his face to create white and red face paint. Thespis stood out, but he also almost certainly died. Not the best idea.

Medieval use

The use of theatrical makeup really began to pick up during the 1500-1600's. It was used in religious cycle performances to depict character in the 1500's and later in the Elizabethan era they used soot and chalk to help 'aid expression'. The use of elaborate stage makeup was introduced when the Japanese Kabuki was introduced to Western Europe.

Modern theatre makeup 

Theatre makeup has come a very long way since the use of dubious chemical and toxic powders, it has become a true art form in its own right through the use of it to create unusual characterization, animal, period, special effects, and avant garde makeup looks. The most significant improvement being that if you apply theatre makeup it's unlikely you will have your face burnt off!
Makeup through the ages

Pigments and Powders

Pigments and powders were the types of makeup used in the early decades, and they could be described as crude to say the least. Fortunately makeup HAD to be developed when artificial lighting available for productions, it became necessary that performers have a more polished look. More importantly however was the fact that some of the compounds used were genuinely life threatening before the mid 1800's, this obviously was another major reasoning for improving makeup.

Greasepaint

Greasepaint was a unique invention that that was a vast improvement on previous makeup for both stage and film. Created and developed by a German actor, it was made by combining lard and pigments. The result of this was a much smoother and easier application. Much later ready made grease paint started being produced, items such as lipsticks, liquid liners, makeup sticks and waxes were introduced in the early 1900's. This was a huge step forward in theatre makeup.