Elizabeth In Portraiture

Review of Elizabethan Portraiture and Symbolism

Queen Elizabeth’s portraits portrayed her in a very particular way. She wanted to show her undying love for her country and show her purity and chasity as a Queen. As well as this they showed her Victories, her Wisdom and Justice. The Cult of Elizabeth was that we should see her as the Virgin Queen, The Sacred one and the deliverer of the people. This was the propaganda she created for herself to win her countries loyalty.

What was she actually like?

Height approx. 5’4”

Skin blemished by small pox and burned by lead oxide make up

Teeth blackened by decay

Halitosis- bad breath

Alopecia

The Queens popularity grew because she became an icon. She destroyed many portraits that didn’t fit with her image and the style of the portraits changed through the years. They became more life like and sophisticated.

Many had miniature portraits which was the ultimate accolade. The noble men and women would even wear the portraits as jewellery to show their loyalty to the Queen. A common feature in her portraits were her hands as this was her favourite attribute.

Coronation Portrait

There is a clear contrast between her white skin and her bright hair which is down to show her unmarried status. This portrait was from 1546 and was a present for her half brother Edward because their close connection. Unfortunately he died at the age of 14.  

The Armada Portrait

This Portrait was to celebrate her victory over the Spanish armada. To symbolise her power over South America (the source of Spain’s Gold) she has the globe under her hand and her fingers fall across America. The Power she has is shown through her far away gaze. The crown signifies her power as Queen while her pearls, ruffles, bows, and gold show her wealth and purity. The Spanish ships go from sailing in one corner to destroyed in another to show The Queens success.

A common feature in Elizabeth’s portrait is the Tudor Rose as it refers to the Tudor dynasty and the unity that it brought to the realm. The rose also had religious connotations, as the medieval symbol of the virgin Mary and was used to allude to the virgin queen as the secular successor to the virgin Mary. If not held by the queen it will be in corners of the image, and is in many paintings during this time.

The Rainbow Portrait c.1600

Painted by Issac Oliver work under Nicholas Hilliard

The gown is embroidered with English wildflowers, and her cloak is embroidered with eyes and ears to show she sees and hears everything. It’s thought to refer to hymns to Astraea by sir John Davis. The Crown symbolises royalty as well as the pearls and jewels. There is a jewel serpent on the arm that holds a heart shaped ruby, this symbolises wisdom and the ruby signifies the queens heart- her passions are controlled by her wisdom. She is holding a rainbow with the quote no rainbow without sun to show peace and without the queen there is no sun. She doesn’t age in her portraits as she’s seen as immortal. 

The Pelican Portrait 1575

Painted by Nicholas Hilliard.

The Pelican pendant is the first thing you notice, it is pinned to the chest to symbolise love as this was one of her favourite symbols. This was due to the myth about a Pelican Mother who would pluck their own chests to feed their starving young. This indicates an undying love as they died in the process, so she wore this to show her commitment to England. There is also The Tudor Rose featured in the portrait as well as the pearls as they symbolise purity. The Cherries tucked into her ears also symbolise her virginity. The colours black, white, red and gold symbolise wealth and are popular in many of her portraits. To create the red they used Cochanele which was a product that the Spanish traded, therefore only the very wealthy in England could own this colour. This was a clear dig at the Spanish. Blackwork is also used to create a lace effect by embroidering black and white cloth in a linear pattern. This is a very rare pattern to find now as the black was created by using iron oxide, so many of these blackworks have eroded.

The Phoenix Portrait attributed 1575

This was also painted by Nicholas Hilliard as it was one of Elizabeth’s favourite artists.

The phoenix is a mythological bird which never dies which symbolises uniqueness and longevity. It gave many hope that she would have children so her reign would be “resurrected”.

The Ermine Portrait 1585 by Nicholas Hilliard

The ermine is an animal of the weasel family prized for its tail of pure white fur with black tips. In the portrait she is seated with an Ermine to symbolise her royalty. This crown also symbolises her majesty and royalty. Her most treasured jewel features, the three brothers jewel.

The Sword of state rests on the table and symbolises justice and shows she’s prepared to defend her realm at all cost.

The Sieve Portrait

Also known as The Siena Portrait so as to distinguish from the other portraits that feature the sieve. One of the only surviving works of Quentin Metsys the Yonger. A sieve is a symbol of virginity and purity reaching back to ancient roman. There is also an imperial crown at the base of a column and a globe which are all symbols of imperial majesty. The figure to her right is said to be Sir Christopher Hatton.

Reference:

Wikipedia. (). Portraiture of Elizabeth I of England. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraiture_of_Elizabeth_I_of_England. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Cody, M. (). Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. Available: http://www.marileecody.com/eliz1-images.html. Last accessed 5/12/14. Hatfield House. (). The House/ The Rainbow Portrait . Available: http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/content.asp?id=1&p=3&The-Rainbow-Portrait. Last accessed 5/12/14. Wikipedia. (). File: Metsys Elizabeth I The Sieve Portrait. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Metsys_Elizabeth_I_The_Sieve_Portrait_c1583.jpg. Last accessed 5/12/14. Claire. (2010). The Armada Portrait. Available: http://www.elizabethfiles.com/the-armada-portrait/3931/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

The Westmore Family

The Westmore family have had four generations of Hollywood make up artists. The first of these family members was George Henry Westmore from Newport, Isle of Wight. He was a not only a make up artist and a wigmaker but also a saloon manager and served in the Britiish Army during Boer War. His career began in 1901 by opening a hair dressing salon in Newport. By 1913 he began learning make up through trading hair services for lessons from the ladies of the evening. When Ern and Perc were nine he began teaching the art of wigmaking. He worked in places such as Triangle Film Corporation, Selig Polyscope Studio ad Maison Cesare. All of his six sons became makeup designers. This included Monte, Ern, Perc, Wally, Frank and Bud.

As well as being very creative, George and his sons were handy with carpentry and plumbing so they built their own shops. They did this during a time where actors and actresses did their own make up so this changed Hollywood. They were known for creating Hollywood beauty for faces such as Sandra Dee, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor and Farrah Fawcett. They were also known for creating beasts such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In the late 30’s they created the House of Westmore which was a huge beauty salon on Sunset Boulevard. There are diagrams of various make up techniques on the wall at the Guild’s Burbank headquarters. They follow the same techniques even now although they are evolved as well as the materials. They even used airbrush to apply foundation as far back as the film Gone With The Wind.

The Westmore family will always be known in the make up world and will forever inspire future artists.

Reference: Wikipedia. (). Westmore Family. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmore_family. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Brian Watt. (2013). Oscar 2013: Westmore Family Continues to Make Up Hollywood, One Generation at A Time. Available: http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2013/02/21/30608/oscars-2013-westmore-family-continues-to-make-up-h/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Elizabeth In Film

Un surprisingly Queen Elizabeth has been portrayed in many films, giving many make up artists and designers the opportunity to create this famous look. Many actresses are willing to go to great extents to portray this Queen, as she was such an inspiration to women not only of that time but now too. I would say her successes as a Queen truly show a woman’s power, and I have enjoyed learning about her. To create the look skills such as aging, bald caps, wigs etc are necessary, meaning this was quite a hard look to recreate. It is a test for many make up artists as you not only need skill but accurate historical input.

Elizabeth- Cate Blanchett- 1998

This film brought Australian actress Cate Blanchett into the lime light when she won a Golden Globe for her performance.  The film was based on Elizabeth’s early years of reign and follows as she embarks upon life as a young Queen. It shows her transformation where she emerges at the end as a Queen who has full power and control of her country. Cate’s portrayal of the Queen was outstanding, and her commitment to the role was amazing. Due to the hairline being very high in those times, to fully commit to the role Cate shaved her hairline back so as to add realism to the movie.  As well as this she bleached the front portion white.

Actress- Cate Blanchett

Costume- Alexandra Byrne

Make up and hair- Anita Burger, Miranda Davidson, Karen Ferguson, Christine Greenwood, Susan Howard, Lisa Pickering, Ivana Primorac, Jenny Shircore, Christine Whitney, Lucy Willis

Jenny won an Oscar for the make up designs in this movie.

Reference: Wikipedia. (). Elizabeth (film). Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_(film). Last accessed 5/12/14.
Catherine Q. O'Neill. (2013). Cate Blanchett Talks Wigs, Brows, and How She Really Gets Into Character. Available: http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2013/11/cate-blanchett-wigs-brows-character-roles.html. Last accessed 5/12/14.
IMDB. (). Elizabeth (1998). Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127536/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. Last accessed 5/12/14.

The Golden Age- Cate Blanchett- 2007

This is a sequel to the 1998 film Elizabeth and once again Cate Blanchett’s successful portrayal of Elizabeth I lead to a Oscar nomination for best actress and the film won an Academy Award for best costume design. This film follows Elizabeth through her middle years of ruling and concentrates on the threats to her power over religion and politics, including the Spanish Armada. In an interview with UK glamour magazine the Make up and hair team explain what it was like doing the make up for Elizabeth. For instance with the wigs already prepped, it took three hours to get the hair, make up and wardrobe complete for filming and there were 16 wigs in total that all had to fit with the costumes in the movie. To keep the make up looking consistent there would be photographic evidence of the different looks and differed scenes. We even find out the make up they used in this quote:

“To create Elizabeth's white make-up, I prepped the character's skin with MAC Prep and Prime. I then applied Full Coverage Foundation in NW15, and stippled over it with Studio Fix powder foundation. I powdered initially with Shu Uemura loose powder in colorless matte and added MAC loose powder in Porcelaine for a lighter effect, or La Prairie translucent No.1 to soften the tone and the skin texture. I used a mixture of Pinch O' Peach and Fleur Power powder blushes on the cheeks and over the sockets of the eyes. The eyebrows and lashes I bleached almost white, so I defined gently under the eyes with 'Strada' powder colour. For the lips I used a mixture of Lorac's lip tint in Red-Brown, and MAC's crme stick liner in Red Enriched and Portside gently rubbed onto the lips after lip balm.”

Costume designer- Alexandra Byrne

Main Makeup and Hair artists- Jenny Shircore, Jon Hengry Gordon, Joe Hopker, Susan Howard, Morag Ross and Gemma Waugh.

Reference: Wikipedia. (). Elizabeth: The Golden Age . Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth:_The_Golden_Age. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Costumers Guide. (). Elizabeth the Golden Age. Available: http://www.costumersguide.com/cr_elizabeth2.shtml. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Imdb. (). Elizabeth: The Golden Age . Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414055/fullcredits/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Fire Over England 1937 and The Sea Hawk (1940) – Flora Robson

 It is quite a regular thing for actresses to go back to playing Elizabeth as she is such a strong and interesting character to unravel. A film based during Queen Elizabeth’s reign at the time of the Spanish Armada. Although the make up artist was unknown for Fire Over England it is clear that they used a prosthetic nose to create the look. Perc Westmore (who is part of a family of Make up artists) was the make up artist on set for The Sea Hawk.

Costume designer- Rene Hubert, Orry- Kelly

Makeup Artist- Perc Westmore

Reference: Imdb. (). Fire Over England . Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028872/fullcredits/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Wikipedia. (). Fire Over England . Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Over_England. Last accessed 5/12/14.

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) and The Virgin Queen (1955)- Bette Davis

The Private Lives OF Elizabeth and Essex was based on Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with Robert Devereux, the 2^nd Earl of Essex. The Film had five Academy Award nominations. Bette was the first Hollywood actress to appear bald on screen and so that the film could be historically accurate to Queen Elizabeth Bette shaved 3 inches of her hair and all of her eyebrows off. Her lips are quite obviously thinned and they have used make up to create dark patches under her eyes. Many were shocked when they saw the make up for this role as Bette was only 31 when filming and the make up made her look very aged. When playing Elizabeth again 25 years later in The Virgin Queen, Bette once again shaves her hair back for the role. However by taking this risk Bette Davis hair did not all grow back straight away meaning she had to wear a nightcap to the Oscars to hide the shaven hairline. Chalky powder is used to create the white face that Elizabeth is known for.

Costume- Orry Kelly

Make up- Perc Westmore

Reference: Wikipedia. (). The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Private_Lives_of_Elizabeth_and_Essex. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Wikipedia. (). Perc Westmore. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perc_Westmore. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Elizabeth R 1971 Glenda Jackson

First Broudcasted on BBC2 from February to March, Elizabeth R was a mini drama series of six episodes that was renowned for its historical accuracy to the Queens life. Glenda endured shaving her hairline and a large amount of make up and prosthetics to create Elizabeth’s look. Glenda Won both Emmies and Baftas for the role. I feel this a very 70’s take on the make up as the rosy cheeks were contoured to the cheekbones, whereas during the Elizabethan era the cheeks would have been more circular.

Costume- Elizabeth Waller

Makeup and Hair- Dawn Alcock and Sandra Shepherd

Reference: Imdb. (). Elizabeth R. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066652/fullcredits/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Wikipedia. (). Elizabeth R. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_R. Last accessed 5/12/14.

The Virgin Queen Anne Marie Duff 2005

Another TV miniseries, The Virgin Queen was split into four parts on the BBC and was based upon Queen Elizabeth’s life. There was a lot of concentration on her private life rather than the political and religious challenges during her reign. Anne Marie was one of the first actresses to take on the challenge of portraying Elizabeth from the beginning all the way through to her death at the age of 70. Therefore make up and prosthetics were vital to recreate the changing face of Elizabeth. Even false teeth were used for the older Elizabeth. Anne Marie Duff even spoke of the make up “I knew that with the make-up and costume I would look good- the prosthetics not only looked amazing but they gave my face restrictions that it wouldn’t normally have- and we worked on obvious things like vocal differences and the physicality.” For the coronation scene, the designer Amy Roberts did not make the garment, in stead the used the dress Cate Blanchett wore in Elizabeth as it was an exact replica of the original.

Costume: Amy Roberts

Makeup and Hair: Sjaan Gillings, Chris Lyons, Josh Westion, Victoria Bancroft, Sophia Burnage, Neill Gorton, Karen Hartley, Kristyan Mallett, Maureen McGill, Anna Morena and Laura Schiavo.

Reference: wikipedia. (). The Virgin Queen (TV Serial). Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_Queen_(TV_serial). Last accessed 5/12/14.

imdb. (). The Virgin Queen (TV Serial). Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481459/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast. Last accessed 5/12/14.

BBC. (2005). The Virgin Queen. Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/12_december/29/virgin_duff.shtml. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Elizabeth I- 2005 Helen Mirren

This is a two part series that cover the last 24 years of her reign, both episodes focus on her relationships, one with the Earl of Leicester and one with the Earl of Essex. Helen won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her performance. To become the Queen Helen went through many changes. For her hair she wore a wig and she slightly thinned her mouth down and thickened her eyebrows.

Costume: Mike O’Neill

Make up: Laura Kreivyte, Josh Weston, Fae Hammond, Sue Westwood, Jan Hope-Kavanagh, Gemma Richards.

Reference: Wikipedia. (). Elizabeth I (TV miniseries). Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_(TV_miniseries). Last accessed 5/12/14.

Imdb. (). Elizabeth I (TV miniseries). Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465326/fullcredits/. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Jones, O. (2006). Her Majesty. Available: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20060722,00.html. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Shakespeare In Love- 1998 Judi Dench

Although Elizabeth wasn’t the main character in this movie, she does feature. With this being said she still won an Oscar for her role. Even with this minor cameo, Judi went through an extensive amount of make up to perfect the look. Lisa Westcott explains “the Queen is quite old in the film she would have terrible skin- probably from mercury poisoning- so it was covered in makeup and her hair was undoubtedly falling out, so she always wore a wig.” To recreate this look it took 4 hours daily even though she was only in the movie for 8 minutes. The crew was said to have gone silent when she first showed her look.

Make up: Lisa Westcott and Veronica Brebner

Reference: The Make up Gallery. (). Period: Shakespeare In Love. Available: http://www.themakeupgallery.info/period/c16/uk/elizabeth/shakespearejd.htm. Last accessed 5/12/14.

Anne. (). Elizabethan Fashion and Times. Available: http://firthpage.tripod.com/rolespage/silfash.html. Last accessed 5/12/14.