History of special effects make-up

Prior to the 1930's, make-up was usually applied by the actors and actresses themselves, but when artists were used for this they weren't usually credited or recognised for the work they did. 
Products that were used a lot for make-up for film and theatre back then were:

• Spirit gum 
• Fish skin
• Cotton
• Gelatine
• Greasepaints
• Collodion
• Cheesecloth
• Clay
• Fullers Earth
• Putties and pastes
• Wax
• Gutta Percha 
• Crepe hair 
• Latex

Lon Chaney:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Lon_chaney_c1923.jpg

Lon Chaney was an actor, director and screen writer, regarded as one of the most adaptable and important actors of early film. He was called "the man of a thousand faces" and was known for his characterisation as grosteque, troubled characters. He used things like fish skin, masks and wigs to help portray his characters, he was also known for his groundbreaking talent as a make-up artist. He mainly acted in silent horror films but also known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923 and The Phantom of the Opera in 1925. His talent and knowledge of special effects make-up was so great that there was a 2000 documentary on him called Lon Chaney: A thousand faces by a silent film historian called Kevin Brownlow. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and wrote about prosthetical and theatrical make-up in an edition of The Encyclopedia Britannica. 

http://www.goldensilents.com/stars/lonlaugh.jpg

http://blogs.denverpost.com/library/files/2012/08/Lon-Chaney-in-Phanton-of-the-Opera1.jpg

The Wizard of Oz was the first film in 1939 to use prosthetics on a large scale. Latex was used instead of wax to make things like fake noses and ears, latex doesn't crack like wax and is more like real skin as can be applied in thin layers. There were a team of about 30 make-up artists working on this film, Jack Dawson was the main artist. He had to design and apply make-up for some hybrid-like characters - A lion, the tin man, the wicked witch and the scarecrow! In order to get to where make-up is today, there have had to have been many mistakes and learning curves in order to find out what works best for achieving particular looks and of course in a safe and hygienic way, examples of these mistakes include:

• The tin mans original actor Buddy Esben was rushed to hospital unable to breathe after breathing in aluminum dust from his make-up, when they replaced him with a new actor they used decided to use an aluminum paste instead of the dust as they had to find a safe and effective alternative.
•  In a scene where the Wicked Witch disappears from Munchkin Land into a puff of smoke and fire, the actress suffered second and third degree burns to her hands and face as there was copper in her make-up which heated up and burnt, an assistant on set had to quickly remove the make-up to prevent the boiling copper from injuring and scarring her even worse!
• http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6mzw2_cbs-behind-the-scenes-of-the-wizard_shortfilms

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WnXAl1ntt_4/hqdefault.jpg

http://jeezjon.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451628569e201bb0835d640970d-pi

As well as Lon Chaney, fellow actor Cavendish Morton wrote a book published in 1909 called The Art of Theatre Make-up. In this book he explained how he used products to create different looks and characters and included illustrations. Here he described how to create the character of Falstaff:“the wig is shown with the silk joined to it from which the cheeks and double chin are to be formed. With spirit gum the edges of the silk are joined round the eyes, mouth and nose. Next the cheeks and chin are padded, and the drawstring at the lower edge of the silk is tightened. A large nose of nose-paste is formed. Pouches of nose paste are placed beneath the eyes and these are blended with the false cheeks, effectually covering the joins. A groundwork of No. 3 grease paint made deeper with yellow, carmine, and a little lake is applied evenly all over the face, or perhaps it would be better to call it a mask. This will bring its various elements into accord. Blotches of carmine mixed with a little yellow are dabbed on the nose and cheeks. High lights of white mixed with a little yellow are placed on the forehead, on the pouches under the eyes, and on the cheeks. Blend these with the groundwork carefully.  The beard and moustache are so placed that the actual outlines of the cheeks are lost. The beard is blended into the cheeks with crepe hair. The eyelashes are coloured with reddish yellow making them seem smaller.”

The art of theatrical make-up - Cavendish Morton p.46-47

The art of theatrical make-up - Cavendish Morton p.48-49

https://prezi.com/0ztb_mjnlhzz/prosthetic-makeup/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon_Chaney
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6mzw2_cbs-behind-the-scenes-of-the-wizard_shortfilms
http://wizoz3560.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/makeup-artist-courtney.html
https://archive.org/stream/artoftheatricalm00mortrich#page/50/mode/2up