Artistic and Physical: A Test.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 108, 9 May 1896, Page 1 (Supplement)

Artistic and Physical: A Test.

By the way, do you wish to know whether your physical proportions roach the standard of artistic perfection ? An nrttali gave me 11 li^t of measurements for perfect physical proportions in n. \roman of medium height, say SIS Sin and here they are :— Weight, 10 to 10£ atones ; the length of her hanci should bo a tenth of her whole height;, and of her food a seventh ; tho distance from the elbow to the middle finger should bo the eamo as that between tho elbow and the middle of the chest, and .the arms when extended to their full length sideways should measure from finger tips bo finger tips just tho same as the height. From the top of the head to the chin should be the same length as the foot, and from the chia to the arm-pits should be the same distance ; the distance from where fcho hair begins on the forehead to between the ayebrows, from there to the tip of the nose and from the nostrils to the poinb of the chin should be equal, though the forehead may without detrimenb to beauty be a little shorter than the other two measurements. The size round the waist of a woman this height should bo 24 inches, round the buab under the1 anna 34, and over tho anna 43 inches ; round buo upper part of the arm 13 inches, and round the wrisb six inches ; tho calf of the leg Bhould measure 14 or 14J inches, tho thigh 25 and the ankle eight inches. Taller or shorter women should be in the eamo proportion. Hint for Siiobt Women. A valuable hint for very short women to remember is thab a well seb-up, erecb carriage and poise of the bead, and the chest well expanded, goes a long way to make her appear much taller than ehe really is, and especially if the skirts are worn rather long, and all lines of trimming or drapery carried downwards, never across. The short woman should also avoid wearing skirts and blouses of very contracting tone?, as all sudden breaks, whether of colour or line, tend to shorten the figure in effect.