Pictures and the Picturegoer (Jan-Dec 1924)

NOVEMBER 1924 ncrxjres ana Kicrxjrevver f\ Womanwho Understands BY VINCENT DE SOLA Ihave before me four photographs of Shirley Mason. Two of these arc full face portraits, and two arc profile pictures. Each seems to reveal a different mood, but each exhibits the same careful formation and weighed proportions that lead me to declare her unusually practical. She is not a visionary ; she prefers facts. This is what her face tells me at the first scrutiny. Its character harmony is excellent, and only in the mouth do I find contradictions to the main thread of a very concrete personality. The eyes are alert and wide-awake, but their shape and placing with relationship to the lids and brows, would setm to indicate that she is a subjective type, somewhat selffocussed. Things outside, therefore, would not greatly affect her. She is interested in them not objectively, but mainly because of their reaction on herself. Che is not sceptical in type, and trusts easily, believing without hesitation in the good faith of those with whom she has to deal. There is loyalty present, and great faithfulness to those whom she loves. But ihe mouth adds the contradiction — and it is through our contradictions that we are each of us individuals — of being easily swayed through the affections. I should deduce from this contradiction that she regards all ties that touch her deeply with unswerving fidelity, and that beyond this depth she has a range of lesser feeling where emotions may come and go without great personal significance to her. She is not idealistic in type, but at the same time she is not one of those who have ceased to be idealistic through contact with the world, and have grown bitter therefore. The high practicality of her nature makes her take life as it is and find it good. The features are definite and. strong. Eyes, mouth, and nose would say that she is self-reliant and capable. Feminine as are the contours of the face, there are indications present that she has, to an unusual degree, an understanding of masculine minds and traits. Shirley Mason has, according to De Sola, an unusual amount of understanding of masculine minds and traits. This is the face of a person strong in practicality, distinguished by carefulness and thoroughness. The eyes are searching and thoughtful. This is a nature inclined to trust rather than suspect. Warm sympathy and kindliness are indicated, and the ability to rise to great heights of self-sacrifice in love. The personality is somewhat self-focussed and attempts to win its desires with a slow driving force rather than by nervous and unconsidered impulses. Her humour is deep and personal, but not very broad. Life is not funny to such a person as this, any more than it is tragic. Her humour springs almost solely as a reaction from her own seriousness of purpose. She is ambitious, but the mouth and chin point out a great fondness for pleasure and some degree of likeable indolence. She would dislike restlessness and nervousness and aimless energy. Many of the traits of character in this face declare its possessor to be somewhat domestic in type. The maternal instinct is also marked, but this is mitigated by the slow, driving foi "■ "i her ambition. To attain her ends she is capable of great sell \a' i il I like the tOUCh of philosophy in the face, so seldom seen in the fal the " theatre type." There is no e r u e 1 t y in the face, but rather a large, general kindliness. She is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, the lips tell us. I deduce from this and other signs that she does not live in the future, but in the immediate and practical present. Her force of will is marked. She shows the trait of patience in an uncanny degree, and it would seem that nothing could resist her carefulness and thoroughness in prosecuting a desired end. The disposition is fairly even, though it is the type that when once aroused becomes almost ruthless. Che would discard indolence and patience and her analogous traits for the moment, to become tensed and tiger-swift. There is more sentiment in the face than emotion. The temperament is, for the most part, under the command of calm, practical, reasoning faculties. The lips and eyes both show a knowledge of tact, but appear to be outspoken as well. Not easily wounded by the obvious, she can nevertheless be hurt by things which I cannot quite define. There is some feminine vanity in the face and a good deal of curiosity regarding those in whom she is at all interested. Her curiosity, in other words, is like her humour — deep, but not broad. Hers is, to a great extent, a sub-conscious nature as both the eyes and the formation of the brow tell me. She permits herself to be guided very often by a simple instinct. She is not keenly introspective in spite of her practical attitude, and often regards herself in one mood in quite a different light than in another. But she has unusual persistence, and she is capable of winning to the goal she desires with her array of what may be called " success " traits. But her practicality would prevent her from pursuing the aims of many of the younger group of film stars.