The lacing of a corset was not enough for Eltinge to achieve his beautiful feminine illusions. Before his performances, he spent an hour and a half in preparation. He would shave, apply flesh-tone greasepaints to his face, and powder his complexion. He accented his eyelids with blue, built up the eyelashes in black, and formed his eyes into almond shapes. He finished his face with lip rouge. His make-up preparation was meticulous. He even went so far as to shave his fingers. In a 1909 interview, Eltinge remarked. “It depends on where you put the paint, not how much you splash on.”
All of the minute details and make-up Eltinge used in creating his feminine illusions, resulted in “the ideal woman, the way women ought to be.”
Eltinge used a while liquid concoction on his shoulders and arms, then powdered over it to achieve a soft white effect. In order to make his hands appear smaller and delicate, he powdered his hands white and rouged his fingers from the second knuckle to the tips. He painted his fingernails in a bright color, which gave the effect of the nails being tapered. Lastly, he put blue pencil lines on the back side of his hands, making them appear slender. His advice to women was “never to hold the breadth of the hand toward the viewer.” The hands would seem elongated and delicate by showing the narrow sides. His shoes were always two and a half sizes too small and made of satin. Bright lights made his feet appear tinier. His wigs were styled to appear feathery about the neck and face.
— from Drag! Male and Female Impersonators on Stage, Screen and Television by F. Michael Moore
Came across this as part of my research for a collaboration with acertainpavane. Eltinge was a forerunner of what we would call “drag queens” now. He worked very hard on his performances, but in order to deflect criticism he also worked to maintain a masculine offstage persona. He often said he hated performing in drag and that it was just a job. He got in macho fistfights with anyone who called him gay. At the time, he was considered an icon of feminine beauty, not “for a man” but PERIOD. He was featured in corset ads, and women would go to their dressmakers wanting to look like him. A very interesting figure, and I think it’s cool we still have so much information on the details of his acts!