What was Elizabethan beauty?

Background Information

Queen Elizabeth had an uncanny ability to use any situation to her political advantage and her image was no exception. She was very conscious of her personal appearance and knew that her actions and image together formed her identity, which in turn would become a symbol for the whole enterprise of England.

Her image was carefully engineered to impress and to convey wealth, authority and power, both at home and abroad. As her reign progressed, she also had to dress for the part of virginal goddess that she had become and transmit the nation's growing stature and confidence. Her wardrobe was full of gowns of rich fabrics adorned with jewels and elaborate surface detail, which were clearly imposing and speak volumes about wealth and status.

Elizabeth also demanded a sense of style from those around her and her courtiers spent vast sums of money on their wardrobes in order to catch her eye and impress her. Dress was a means of expressing social hierarchy and Elizabeth believed that one's dress should suit, but not exceed, one's rank. Elizabeth's appearance stressed her rank as head of state and church and 'pecking order’ was reinforced by legal restrictions:

Elizabethan beauty

The Renaissance ideal of beauty was fair hair, a pallid complexion, bright eyes and red lips. Elizabeth was tall and striking, with pale skin and light red-gold hair. She exaggerated these features, particularly as she aged, and other women sought to emulate them.

An alabaster complexion symbolized wealth and nobility (signalling that one did not have to labour in the sun), and women went to great lengths to achieve this look. The most popular white foundation, called ceruse, was made out of white lead and vinegar. Concoctions used to bleach freckles and treat blemishes often included ingredients such as sulphur, turpentine and mercury. These toxic ingredients took their toll, leaving the skin 'grey and shrivelled' as one contemporary commentator noted. To combat this, the skin was glazed with raw egg white to produce a smooth, marble-like surface.

False veins were often painted onto the skin to highlight its 'transparency' and vermilion (mercuric sulphide) was the most popular choice to colour lips red. High, narrow arched brows and a high hairline required much plucking, and eyes were brightened with drops of belladonna juice and lined with kohl (powdered antimony).

Elizabeth's curly red hair presented another challenge, with many recipes for dyeing and bleaching emerging as women tried to achieve the same look. Red wigs became a popular alternative, which Elizabeth also took to wearing. As Elizabeth aged, her legendary sweet tooth caught up with her, causing her teeth to decay. Her influence by this time was so all-pervasive that some women even went so far as to blacken theirs to mimic her appearance!