1930s Research
1930s
Life in the 1930s:
The
1930s is often unappreciated or unthought of, however a lot happened in this
decade. These years included economic strife in Britain and high unemployment
rates, the world was recovering from World War One and this caused unemployment
to jump from 1 million to over 2 million in a year and in parts of the North
East of England there was unemployment rates of 70% (Find my past, No Date). Jobs
were mainly industrial or agricultural which meant that physical jobs were
common and for working class women, jobs usually involved becoming a maid or a cleaner.
The
Great Depression was a result of the Wall Street Crash in 1929 and most of the consequences
occurred in the 1930s. This meant millions were living in extreme poverty which
caused rickets and scurvy to become common in children and it also caused slum
living and homelessness to become common which then led to malnutrition and its
associated illnesses. These problems occurred mostly in the industrial North
and Scotland due to a sudden lack of demand (Find my past, No Date).
Unemployed
and homeless people sleeping rough on London's Embankment Image: Mary Evans
Picture Library
As
to be expected, there was a rigid class structure in the 1930s and the educated
middle and upper classes believed they were superior to lower classes. People
with power came from upper classes and often had a public-school education and
they seen themselves as the guardians of culture. The social hierarchy was
mostly self-policed, and people rarely moved to a different social group, “any
attempt to transcend their hierarchy was restricted by social convention” (vads,
No Date).
A
group of unemployed Italian men, Saffron Hill, near Farringdon, London EC1.
Image: Mary Evans Picture Library/MARGARET MONCK
It
is believed that we keep returning to the 1930s and that it is the foundation
stone of our modern world (The Guardian, 2017).
Important events:
Despite
the troubles regarding the great depression, during the 1930s there were great
innovations in the sciences and the arts. For example, on 31st March
1930 “the Motion Pictures Code is established, imposing strict guidelines on
the treatment of Crime, Religion, Sex and Violence in film, for the next forty
years” (Historic Newspapers, No Date). Also on 14th February 1931, the
original film version of Dracula is released with Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula
and on 24th August 1931, “the Labour Government of Ramsay MacDonald
resigns in Britain due to feeling overwhelmed by the Great Depression crisis”
and it is replaced by a National Government of people that consists of mostly Conservatives.
MacDonald is thrown out of the Labour party after being accused of betrayal by
other MPs (Historic Newspapers, No Date).
The
Arch Bishop of Canterbury forbids church remarriage of divorced people in
Britain on 8th January 1932 and on 25th March 1932
“Tarzan the Ape Man is released in cinemas with Johnny Weissmuller as the star,
he would also star in 12 Tarzan films ( Historic Newspapers, No Date). A lot of
events happened in 1933, for example, in Germany on 23rd March 1933,
the Enabling Act allowed Adolf Hitler to become the dictator of Germany and on
2nd May 1933 there was the first sighting of the “Loch Ness Monster”
and the photo was taken by Hugh Gray, the world was captivated by the myth
(Historic Newspapers, No Date).
Also, in 1933, Gandhi was sentenced to prison in India on 4th July, Albert Einstein arrived in the US as a refugee from Nazi Germany on 17th October and on 21st December the British Plastics Federation is founded (Historic Newspapers, No Date). In 1934, Alcatraz became a prison on 1st January and Fuji Photo Film Company Ltd, the pioneer of Fuji Film, is established on 20th January. On 1st April, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow killed 2 young men and go on the run from the police then on 23rd May, they are caught and killed, they were allegedly shot over 50 times in total. Also, on 2nd August 1934, Hitler becomes Führer of Germany (Historic Newspapers, No Date).
German
chancellor Adolf Hitler amid huge crowds at a rally to mark the Bückeberg
Harvest Festival on 1 October 1934. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty
In
1935, the first Penguin paperback books were published on 30th July
and the Parker brothers released the first edition of Monopoly on 5th
November (Historic Newspapers, No Date). Then in 1936, Germany reoccupies the
Rhineland on 7th March, Margret Mitchell’s “Gone with the wind” is
published for the 1st time on 30th June and on 18th
July the Spanish Civil War begins (Historic Newspapers, No Date).
The march by the British Union of Fascists through London’s East End that led to the battle of Cable Street, 4 October 1936. Photograph: Derek Berwin/Getty Images
Some
historic events took place in 1937, including, the first Sci-fi convention held
in Leeds on 3rd January, the solar eclipse was visible from the
Pacific and Peru on 8th June, it was the first to last longer than 7
minutes for over 800 years. The first edition of “The Dandy” was published on 4th
December and on 21st December Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs is released, it is the first animated cartoon with sound (Historic
Newspapers, No Date). The first edition of the Beano is published on 30th
July 1938, on 26th September, Hitler implies war will begin at any
moment which leads to people such as Winston Churchill declaring they were
disgusted with the outcome of the meeting (Historic Newspapers, No Date).
1939
was a very important year in this decade, on 1st January, the Hewlett-Packard
Company is founded and becomes the largest tech company in the world, on 1st
April the Spanish Civil War comes to an end and on 17th June the
last public guillotining takes place in France. On 1st September
Germany invades Poland which leads to the UK, France, New Zealand and Australia
declaring war on Germany and on 16th November, Al Capone is released
from Alcatraz (Historic Newspapers, No Date).
Evening
Standard, 1939
The
events of the 1930s are important to look at as they influenced society and the
film industry, they could also influence modern films and TV shows which would
influence the styles of makeup used to create looks.
Popular films from the 1930s:
- ·
The Wizard of Oz (1939, Fantasy)
- ·
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937, Animation)
- ·
Gone with the wind (1939, Romance)
- ·
The 39 Steps (1935, Thriller)
- ·
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, Adventure)
- ·
Wuthering Heights (1939, Romance)
- ·
It Happened One Night (1934, Romance)
- ·
Modern Times (1936, Comedy)
- ·
The Lady Vanishes (1938, Mystery)
- ·
Frankenstein (1931, Horror)
- ·
David Copperfield (1935, Romance/Drama)
- ·
Captain Blood (1935, Adventure/Romance)
- ·
King Kong (1933, Adventure)
- ·
A Star is Born (1937, Romance/Drama)
- ·
Freaks (1932, Horror)
- ·
Jamaica Inn (1939, Adventure)
- ·
Dracula (1931, Horror)
- ·
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939, Romance)
- ·
Sabotage (1936, Thriller/Mystery)
- ·
Bride of Frankenstein (1935, Horror)
- ·
Scarface (1932, Crime)
- ·
The Invisible Man (1933, Sci-fi)
- ·
The Black Cat (1934, Horror/Crime)
- ·
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, Romance/Drama)
- ·
Vampyr (1932, Horror/Fantasy)
Looking
at movies from this decade will help to gain a greater understanding of life
and makeup from this time, it helps us understand the types of products used
and the styles used for films and TV. It can also give an insight into the
fashion and behaviours of people from this decade. For example, Dorothy Gale
played by the wonderful Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ can give us an
insight into women from this time and she wears makeup that was popular for
this decade and as this film is one of the first full-colour films we can also
see the makeup in colour. This will also help determine the intensity the
makeup needed to be for the quality of the film or TV show, for example the
contour may need to be slightly darker if the camera quality was lower. The
Wizard of Oz was also the first film to use foam latex prosthetics which helps
us see how special effects has evolved over time.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939
Some films & TV based in the 1930s:
- ·
Gandhi (1982, Drama/History) - set 1893 to 1948
- ·
Annie (1982, Musical/Family) - set in 1933
- ·
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003, Drama) - set 1899 to 1934
- ·
Mary Poppins Returns (2018, Musical/Family) - set in 1935
- ·
Of Mice and Men (1992, Drama/Adaption) - set 1930s
- ·
Hotel Lux (2011, Comedy) - set in 1938
(wiki,
2020)
Looking
at films based in this decade is important as it can give us an insight into other
makeup artists interpretations of this decade, including the makeup styles,
products used, fashion and society in general. For example, ‘Mary Poppins
Returns’ gives us an insight into society in the 1930s, including what people
wore, regarding clothing and makeup, and the different classes as it is set in
1935. It also shows us what was acceptable behaviour in the 1930s.
Makeup Artists from the 1930s:
Looking
at the work of makeup artists from the time is important as a lot of the work from
this decade is still relevant today and this decade helped revolutionise
special effects makeup as lots of people were creating new techniques and new
ways of applying makeup. This was also the decade when a lot of classic horrors
were released which includes classic monsters including Frankenstein and Count
Dracula and these looks are still being used and interpreted in different ways today.
This also sparks the question of how much longer would it have been before
someone else created these monsters, if at all?
Jack Dawn:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
1939
Jack Pierce:
Jack
Pierce is one of the mot iconic makeup artists of the 1930s, he was the head of
department at Universal Studios and he designed and created some amazing
makeups. Some of his most famous work is Frankenstein’s Monster, this makeup took
4 hours to complete and to create this look he used cotton, collodion, gum and
green grease paint as he did not like using latex very often. Universal Studios
has a copyright on the Frankenstein makeup until 2026. He also designed and
applied the makeup for The Mummy, he covered Boris Karloff head to toe however
only his head and hands appear on screen, he also made him up to be Ardeth Bay
and made him look old and wrinkled as this is how he’s seen throughout the
film. He also designed the makeup for Count Dracula (Universal Monsters
Universe, 2016).
Universal
Monsters Universe (2016) Pierce working on Boris Karloff, 1939
Ben Nye:
Ben
Nye’s career in the film industry started in the 1930s, he started working at
Fox Studios in 1932 making copies of sheet music then he became a makeup
apprentice in 1935. He worked on over 500 films with 20th Century
Fox (imbd, No Date) and one of his most creditable makeups is from ‘Gone with
the Wind’ from 1939. He was a special effects makeup artist that is still
relevant today as he has his own makeup brand that he created when he retired
in 1967.
Bela Lugosi:
Bela
Lugosi was a Hungarian actor who worked mostly on stage and he starred as Count
Dracula in the Broadway adaption of Dracula which ran for 3 years, then he was
cast as Count Dracula in the film. This led to Lugosi being established as “one
of the screen's greatest personifications of pure evil” and there’s rumours
that Lugosi was buried in a Count Dracula costume following a heart attack in
August 1956 (imbd, No Date). Even though Bela Lugosi was an actor he applied all
his own makeup and he refused to let Jack Pierce apply his Dracula makeup.
After starring in Dracula, he also starred in ‘White Zombie’. He after his
performance as Count Dracula he was also given the nickname of ‘The Master of
Horror’.
Makeup from the 1930s:
In
the 1930s, makeup became more refined and it became more Hollywood influenced.
Cream
eyeshadows became extremely popular and was released by big brands such as Max
Factor who also released lip gloss and in 1937, he released Pancake water
soluble makeup. Also, in 1939, Helena Rubinstein released the first waterproof
mascara, this meant that mascara was in every girl’s makeup bag. Lipstick was
extremely popular and there wasn’t a magazine that didn’t have a red pouting
face on the cover, these were advertising brands such as Coty, Tangee and Max
Factor (Glamour Daze, No Date).
However,
due to the Great Depression, in the early 1930s women wore minimal makeup as it
was not a necessity which is why women’s faces looked softer.
New
ingredients were being used in cosmetic products such as sunscreens and
hypoallergenic products are being produced (Beauty Box, 2017).
Most
films and TV shows were in black and white meaning colours such as red would
appear dark and colours such as green would appear lighter.
Makeup Routine:
Women
used a 3-step skincare routine to give them flawless skin: cleanse, tone and
moisturise. Ponds Cream was a huge brand in the 1930s, so it was recommended to
use the Ponds cleanser, witch hazel astringent to tone and Ponds vanishing
cream moisturiser.
Max Factor, 1937
Pencil
thin eyebrows were also extremely popular, and this was achieved by plucking
the eyebrows very thin then drawing a pencil thin arch beyond the natural brow
end. To finish, brush the eyebrows through with an eyebrow comb or a similar tool
(Glamour Daze, No Date). This look could also be achieved by blocking out the
brows instead of plucking them. Brows were kept thin as they portrayed more
emotions on screen (Beauty Box, 2017).
Glamour
Daze, No Date
Cake
mascara was used and applied with a brush from a tin or pot (Glamour Daze, No
Date). False lashes also became popular and were worn by both actresses and
everyday women. Mascara was mostly worn on the top lashes and the lower lashes
were left bare to create the illusion of full lashes (Beauty Box, 2017).
Cream
eyeshadows were extremely popular in the 1930s and this helped create a glossy
lid without using petroleum jelly (Beauty Box, 2017). It was best applied with
your finger and lighter, more natural shades were used on the eyes. In the
1930s, pear shaped eyes were the desired eye shape as the eyes were rounder,
kohl eyeliner was added to the lash line and thicker in the centre of the lid
to enhance the round shape of the eyes. Eyeshadow and liner could also be
dragged outwards to make the eyes appear bigger.
This
decade saw the start of contouring as the desired face shape was a heart shape.
Pinks and bright reds were used to achieve this and some browns towards the end
of the 1930s. cream products were preferred, and rouge was applied lighter
during the day and heavier for the night-time (Beauty Box, 2017). If you had a
narrow face it was recommended that you add some to the ear to add width
(Glamour Daze, No Date).
Lips
in the 1930s became a lot softer and elongated and not as theatrical as the
1920s, lips were made to look full by contouring and this became known as the rosebud
lip. Popular shades were raspberry reds, maroons and oranges and long-lasting
lipsticks were invented by adding ingredients such as bromo-acids, castor oil
and more vibrant pigments (Beauty Box, 2017). If you have wider lips, line
within your natural lip line and use a darker shade on your upper lip and a
lighter shade on your lower lip. If you have thin lips, line outside your
natural lip line and use a lighter shade on your upper lip and a darker shade
on your lower lip (Glamour Daze, No Date).
Hair in the 1930s:
In the 1930s women opted for longer hair with lengths reaching the shoulder, some women even pinned their hair underneath, and bangs were also popular. Women opted for softer waves rather than sleek bobs or tight ringlets from the 1920s, women also opted for more feminine styles with side or middle parts (Fashion Gone Rouge, 2019). Men also had short hair.
A woman wears thick curls underneath a sun hat in the 1930’s. Photo: Deposit Photos
Bibliography:
Find
my past (No Date) Employment in 1930s Britain Available at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register/unemployment-depression-1930s
(Accessed: 12 August 2020)
Vads
(No Date) The changing role of designers in post-war Britain Available
at: https://vads.ac.uk/learning/designingbritain/html/crd_socreform.html
(Accessed: 12 August 2020)
The
Guardian (2017) The 1930s were humanity's darkest, bloodiest hour. Are you
paying attention? Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/11/1930s-humanity-darkest-bloodiest-hour-paying-attention-second-world-war
(Accessed: 12 August 2020)
Historic
Newspapers (No Date) 1930 Newspapers Available at: https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/old-newspapers/1930-newspapers/#
(Accessed: 8 August 2020)
Historic
Newspapers (No Date) 1931 Newspapers Available at: https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/old-newspapers/1931-newspapers/#
(Accessed: 8 August 2020)
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(Accessed: 8 August 2020)
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(Accessed: 8 August 2020)
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(Accessed: 8 August 2020)
Wikipedia
(2020) Films Set in the 1930s Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_set_in_the_1930s
(Accessed: 12 August 2020)
IMBD
(No Date) Jack Dawn Biography Available at: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0206011/bio?ref_=m_mn_ov_bio (Accessed: 12 August
2020)
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Monsters Universe (2016) Making Up The Monsters: Jack Pierce Available
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2020)
IMBD
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2020)
IMBD
(No Date) Bela Lugosi Biography Available at: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000509/bio?ref_=m_mn_ov_bio (Accessed: 12 August
2020)
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Daze (No Date) History of Makeup - The 1930s Available at: https://glamourdaze.com/history-of-makeup/1930s (Accessed: 6 August 2020)
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Box (2017) The History of Makeup – The 1930s Available at: https://sabeautybox.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/the-history-of-makeup-the-1930s/ (Accessed: 12 August
2020)
Fashion
Gone Rouge (2019) Elegant Waves: The 1930s Best Hairstyles Available at:
https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/1930s-hairstyles-wavy-hair/ (Accessed: 12 August
2020)
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