Kalogynomia, or The laws of female beauty; being the elementary principles of that science - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1821 edition. Excerpt: ... KALOGYNOMIA, OR THE LAWS OF FEMALE BEAUTY. INTRODUCTION. SECTION I. Preliminary Observations. "Is she beautiful V To this question the replies are, in general, as various as multiplied. Yet, under the same climate, true taste is always the same. Our vague perceptions, then, and our vague expres* sions of beauty, areovving to the inaccuracy of our mode of examining it, and to the imperfect nomenclature which we possess for describing it. To shew the necessity for improving both of these, and to make the B first step toward effecting such improvement, the following illustrations may be useful. I. We observe a woman possessing one species of beauty :--Her neck is tapering; her shoulders, without being angular, are sufficiently broad and definite; her waist remarkable for fine proportion, is almost an inverted cone; her haunches are moderately expanded; her thighs proportional; her arms, as well as her limbs, are tapering; and her hands and feet are small.-- The whole figure is precise, striking and brilliant. From its proportions, it seemsalmost aerial; and you would imagine that if your hands were placed under the lateral parts of her tapering waist, the slightest pressure would suffice to throw her into the air. Yet has she few or none-of the qualities of the succeeding. II. We observe, next, one possessing another species of beauty :--She boasts a luxuriant profusion of flaxen or auburn hair; her eyes are of the softest azure ; her complexion has the rose and lily so exquisitely blended, that you are surprised it should defy the usual operation of the elements; her shoulders are softly rounded, and owe any breadth they may possess rather to her expanded chest, than to the size of the shoulders themselves; her bosom in its luxuriance...