Women wearing oversized masks at Venice Beach, California, c.1930 (x)
Vintage Vampire mask c. 1960’s
Snow White Halloween Masks c. late 1930’s early 1940’s
The Black Death Plague Doctor:
A plague doctor was a special medical physician who saw those who had the Bubonic Plague. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, some doctors wore a beak-like mask which was filled with aromatic items. The masks were designed to protect them from putrid air, which (according to the miasmatic theory of disease) was seen as the cause of infection. The protective suit consisted of a heavy fabric overcoat that was waxed. A wooden cane pointer was used to help examine the patient without touching.
Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” 1961
