Vintage c. 1929 Max Factor Cream Lining Color - Shade # 9 Maroon - Rare. --------------- This is a truly rare Max Factor Cream Lining Color – Shade # 9 Maroon. This kind of product does not come up for sale often, because it is so rare to find one being offered. It is a product for the serious collector of Max Factor makeup and the collector of early motion picture memorabilia. Read the below story in reference to Max Factors Lining Colors and discover its unique history.Max Factor came to America in 1904 with his wife and family with the intentions of residing in America and opening a business. He had decided to establish himself at the 1904 World’s Fair that was being held in St. Louis. He felt there that he could earn money selling his various hair goods (wigs, toupees, long hair-pieces,) and cosmetic face creams, lip rouge pots, and powders that he made. Unfortunately, a man that he had recently met and agreed to be his partner (since the man spoke perfect English and knew about America and how things worked, etc.) took off with their earnings after the fair ended. Max then resigned himself to simply establishing a barber shop in St. Louis and sell his hair goods and face creams, lip and powder products. Unfortunately, his wife passed away and he quickly asked the parents of a woman that he had known in Russia to marry her, in order to have a wife and someone to care for his children. Unfortunately for Max, when his new wife arrived, he quickly learned that she was not the kind of wife and mother to his children that he had expected and desired. Some people may describe her as being a “loose woman.” Max divorced her and later married another woman who turned out to be his kind of wife and mother to his children that he had desired. In 1908, Max and his family decided to leave his unhappy past experiences in St Louis behind him and establish a new life by moving to California. Max felt that a fresh start would be good for him and his family emotionally and that California would also afford him an opportunity to establish a new business and provide his services to the many people like himself that were also moving there for various reasons. Three months after arriving in Los Angeles, Max Factor had opened a small store and officially founded “Max Factor and Company” on January 2, 1909. In 1910 the population was 5,000 and approximately ten years later the population would grow to 35,000 people. By 1915, the film production in Los Angeles/Hollywood would account for over 60% of all US made films. Max had arrived at a good time to be in California. In the beginning, he opened a barber shop and did barbering (haircutting, shampooing hair and shaving men’s faces, provided hot baths,) and making wigs and toupees. He also sold (under his Supreme brand name) his own line of face powders, rouge, Henna shampoo, cleansing cream and lip rouge pots, products that he made. Later-on Max sold two lines of theatrical greasepaint stage makeup products. He was the largest west coast distributor of the famous brands of Leichner and Minor theatrical stage makeup products. He sold the theatrical makeup products to actors, singers, and dancers that worked in the nearby stage theaters and vaudeville music halls. He visited numerous theater stage doors to show actors his line of artificial beards, mustaches, hairpieces, wigs, and makeup, in order to make him and his list of useful products known to as many actors as possible.In 1913 the director Cecile B. De Mille rented some of Max’s wigs for a film titled “Squaw Man.” It was produced by the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation (which later became Paramount Pictures,) and starred the actor, Dustin Farnum. The Squaw Man film was released in 1914 and was a 74 minutes long film. While De Mile was in the process of preparing for the making of the film, Max had suggested to De Mille to rent his wigs since there was not enough money in De Miles movie budget to buy the wigs needed for the movie. The second reason for Max wishing to rent his wigs (since De Mile could not afford to buy them,) was because there were no makeup and hair departments in those early days of movie making to store, style and care for the various wigs and hairpieces that were used on the movies. De Mile decided to rent Max’s wigs and as part of the rental agreement, Max’s sons were hired to deliver and collect the wigs for each day’s performance. The wigs were restyled each night for the following days use. That was the start of Max Factors first involvement in the movie industry. As time passed, his rental and sales of his hair goods to various movies was his primary income. With the help of his barber assistants, Max ran his barbershop and with additional help, he continued to make wigs and hairpieces, as well as renting and styling them. Max also worked on creating a greasepaint makeup product to add to his line of Supreme makeup products. By 1914 Max had perfected his greasepaint makeup line. It was unique because it was the first greasepaint makeup in a ‘cream form.” He had created 12-graduated shades of his new greasepaint makeup that he poured into jars. Max had made his new greasepaint makeup for actors (especially comedians) who had requested a makeup product that could permit them to freely use their facial expressions during their stage and silent film performances. Actors constantly complained about the other brands of greasepaint makeup as feeling heavy on their skin and having a tendency to crack and flake off when they made frequent facial expressions. Factor’s new cream makeup was thinner and described as lighter weight and more “flexible on the skin.” It allowed performers to express themselves more freely by not having to worry about their makeup cracking or flaking. Soon many motion picture actors heard of it and started to buy it, especially for their close-ups. By 1916, Max moved to a larger store due to his increase in business. And in 1917 Max released a new skin makeup called Supreme Liquid Whitener, which was used to by many actresses to create an alabaster looking smoothness on their necks, shoulders, arms and hands.Early theatrical makeup manufacturers such as L. Leichner, Miners, and M. Steins all originally made theatrical makeup that was used for stage performances and later for the early films. Various performers such as stage actors, opera singers, vaudeville performers, circus clowns and various circus acts, were all used to wearing makeup. Besides wearing a base makeup foundation most applied a greasepaint makeup in various colors in order to enhance their appearance or to create a “character” look, such as an old man, a sinister villain type, an American Indian, an Arab, etc. Cream liners were sticks (they were made in small pots,) of various shades of greasepaint colors that were applied to the face to help create the desired character appearance of the actor. The wearer would often apply the stick of greasepaint lining color directly to their face and then blend it with their fingers or with what was called a “lining stick” or “paper stump.” Such early blender/applicators were somewhat similar to one today using a makeup brush or a makeup sponge to apply and blend their makeup. Lining sticks or paper stumps were finely rolled up sheets of thin soft paper that looked like a short pencil with a paper point. Performers used them to apply and/or blend their greasepaint lining colors. The lining colors were generally applied to the fine line areas of an older actors face to emphasize their natural wrinkles or to create artificial wrinkles on a youthful when there were none. Lining colors were applied by the temple areas, sides of the nose, under the chin to contour the face, a red color was used to create a blood effect, a black shade was used to simulate a beard stubble or beauty mark. Lining colors were an important part of an early actor’s makeup kit. In the early years of making movies, actors applied their own makeup, because the movie studios hired stage actors to perform in their film actors, since there was no such thing as an “experienced film actor” at that time period. Also, there were no professional makeup artists in the early days film making. Besides, stage actors were all used to applying their makeup for their stage performances. It was part of their tradition to do so. As young actors slowly grew a “fan base” by appearing in several films and creating an audience that liked them more than the other actors that they saw on the silver screen, only then was there created a ‘film actor” that was not a long-time stage actor appearing in films. The new popular film actors become the first “movie stars.” Fans went to the early cinemas often to see their favorite female or male “star” in their new film. The drawback was, the studios were forced to pay “stars” more money because they had a fan base that would come to see their every movie. As a result, the new movie stars became quite valuable to the new film studios profits. Lining colors were just as important to pretty actresses and their handsome leading man as well as to the traditional character actor. Lining colors not only helped to create beauty but the beast too … think of Lon Chaney in one of his many classic character film roles such as “The Phantom of the Opera” or “Quasimodo.”As a result of Max Factor starting to formulate and sell his own early “flexible greasepaint makeup” he needed to extend his line in order to compete with the established theatrical makeup lines at the time period. He did this to not only to earn more money but to prevent “one stop shopping,” …. preventing his customers from purchasing their competitors greasepaint while they were ordering lining colors. From a business point of view, it was best for his business to create his own line of lining colors. And like many other cosmetic companies have done after him did (and still continue to do today,) he copied the best-selling shades of lining colors of the competition and create his own products. This Max Factor cream liner product was previously part of the personal stock makeup collection of famed Hollywood makeup artist Ben Lane. Mr. Lane started his makeup career in 1930 and later became the Director of the Makeup Department for R.K.O. Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, and Warner Brothers Television and Warner Brothers Pictures. He was a makeup artist on a variety of classic films such as: The Good Earth, Gunga Din, Show Boat, and countless other films of the Golden Era of Hollywood. His last film before his retirement was the 1981 lovable "Annie" film. We met and worked together on the 1980 "Annie film" and afterwards, we became life-long friends. During one of my many trips to his retirement home in Palm Springs, California to visit him and his wife Edith. he gave me his wide variety of already vintage makeup products. Such as: L.Leichner, Miners, M. Stein, Max Factor, Chas. D. Hess, Zauder Bros, Screen & Stage (made by Elizabeth Arden in 1935 in order to try and compete with Max Factor,) Westmores of Hollywood, Warner Bros., Chesebourgh, Colgate, Cutex, De Vilbliss, Don Juan, Dorothy Gray, Edna Wallace Hopper, Harriet Hubbard Ayers, Kurlash, Charles of the Ritz, Lady Ester, Lilly Dache, Louis Philippe, Luxor, Naylon by LaCross, Nu Masca, Park & Tilford, Princess Pat, George M. Luft, Ruth Rogers, Kryolan, Chicogo, Mehron's, RCMA, Ben Nye, Bob Kelly, Hazel Bishop, Revlon, Maybelline, Shiseido, Mark Traynor, Makeup Center, Custom Color Cosmetics, ISOMA Cosmetics, and more. Mr. Lane also had other rare cosmetic products that were related to the beauty and film industry in his collection from his many years of working as a makeup artist in the entertainment industry of Hollywood. Ben Lane was one of the original founders of the IATSE - Local 706, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Guild in Hollywood (the Film and Television union.) He was also a member of the Society of Makeup Artists (referred to as SMA on screen credits,) and an Honorary Lifetime Member of the International Society of Makeup Artists (also referred to as ISOMA – it is an International Association of Makeup Artists.) See the ISOMA Internet website: http://isomacosmetics.com/honors.htm and read more about Mr. Lanes career under the heading on the left titled: ISOMA Honors.This is a wonderful item for the vintage collector of Max Factor makeup products and the vintage collector of motion picture memorabilia. As an added bonus, this item was once owned by Ben Lane, one of Hollywood’s premier makeup artists during the Golden Era of Hollywood movie making and television production.” Ben Lane passed away at the age of 95 in 2007. I now find myself in the same shoes of my friend Ben Lane and realize that it is time to part with my more than 4,000 pieces of vintage makeup collection. I am a long-time member of the IATSE, Local 798, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Union and a member of the International Society of Makeup Artists (ISOMA.) I am 76 years old and now plan to move to Shanghai, China with my Chinese wife and live the remaining years of my life there. As a result, I wish to offer my vintage collection of cosmetics to others who will hopefully appreciate and enjoy possessing them as I have. This is just one of the items in my collection .... I will be listing my other vintage Max Factor and various brands of makeup products that I have kept neatly labeled and stored in my storage collection boxes (as you can see the last photo.)