A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life by William Stearns Davis
page 67 of 279 (24%)
page 67 of 279 (24%)
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are not without their follies) are sometimes fond of rouge, false
hair, and the like. Auburn hair is especially admired, and many fine dames bleach their tresses in a caustic wash to obtain it. The styles of feminine hair dressing seem to change from decade to decade much more than the arrangements of the garments. Now it is plaited and crimped hair that is in vogue, now the more beautiful "Psyche-knots"; yet even in their worst moods the Athenian women exhibit a sweet reasonableness. They have not yet fallen into the clutches of the Parisian hairdresser. The poets, of course, ridicule the foibles of the fair sex.[*] Says one:-- The golden hair Nikylla wears Is hers, who would have thought it? She swears 'tis hers, and true she swears For I know where she bought it! And again:-- You give your cheeks a rosy stain, With washes dye your hair; But paint and washes both are vain To give a youthful air. An art so fruitless then forsake, Which, though you much excel in, You never can contrive to make |
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