In the 1930s, just like today, not everyone was sure that it was worth it to close both the nose and the mouth. Masks used to be associated with robbers, eccentric pop singers, and Japanese tourists concerned about their own and the public’s health. But now we see them on people so often that they have practically become a part of everyday life. And when you dig into history, it turns out that this is far from the first time for Britain. From plague epidemics and choking smog to traffic fumes and the threat of a gas attack, Londoners have had to get used to wearing masks on their faces several times over the past 500 years. The earliest masks were worn by people to prevent themselves from being recognized. Protective masks, on the other hand, appeared around the sixth century BC. Images of people with cloth covering their mouths were found on the doors of Persian tombs. The traveler Marco Polo noted in his observations that in 13th century China, servants were ordered to cover their faces with cloth masks so that their breath would not spoil the aroma and taste of the emperor’s food. How delightful.
Year 1952. This is not a ship. These are factory pipes peeking through the smog of East London. The Industrial Revolution in the 18th century helped create the famous London smog. The more factories spewed smoke into the sky, the thicker it became. Homes burning coal for heating also contributed significantly. Every winter in those days, the city was shrouded in a thick veil of gray-yellow smoke. The worst smog in history occurred in 1952, when at least four thousand people died in the city from December 5 to 9, and another eight thousand died later as a result.
In English, “smog” is a combination of the words “smoke” and “fog,” meaning “smoke and fog. Smog occurs in cold weather when a layer of warm air prevents pollutants from dissipating. The cold weather also causes people to heat their homes more intensively, burning more coal. When there is no wind to disperse the smoke, it mixes with soot particles and takes on a distinct dark yellow hue. Smog can aggravate lung and heart disease and cause eye irritation.
The mask and beads were a popular ensemble in the 1950s. Another thousand people died from the smog in December 1957. Then there was a dangerous episode in 1962 that killed 750 people. The smog was so thick that trains stopped running, and there were reports of livestock dying in the fields from smog asphyxiation. By the 1930s, anti-smog masks were as much a wardrobe staple as felt hats.
London is shrouded in smog, 1962. The Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968 banned smoke emissions from smokestacks and restricted emissions of gases, sand, and dust from smokestacks. Although the dark yellow fog no longer accompanies London’s winters, air pollution remains a serious problem. In December, a county court in London ruled that it was a significant factor in the death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, who lived near a busy city highway and died of an asthma attack in 2013.
This is what plague doctors looked like before the “bird” masks appeared. In the 14th century, the “Black Death” ravaged Europe – the first pandemic of bubonic plague that killed over 25 million people between 1347 and 1351. It was during this time that the forerunners of today’s medical masks were introduced. Doctors believed that the disease was transmitted by poisonous air, and to avoid inhaling “miasmas,” they covered their faces or brought fragrant bouquets to their noses.
“The beak of the mask was filled with fragrant herbs to protect against harmful miasma.” The black figure in a bird-like mask, which became the symbol of the plague epidemic, did not appear until the end of the last outbreak in the mid-17th century. Fragrant herbs and spices were still part of the process – they were stored in a “beak” to protect them from harmful miasma.
Here is the one who came to the sick to give them hope of recovery. During the great plague epidemic in London in 1665, plague doctors’ protective gear included heavy leather coats, gloves, and hats.
Drivers veils: attractive and practical In Victorian London, ladies of aristocratic families began to attach veils to their hats – experts in maximum coverage outfits and avid hunters for any elaborate accessory that could be black. In addition to mourning functions, veils were used for protection from the sun, rain, and polluted air. According to Transport for London and the Royal College of London, car exhaust is the main source of air pollution in London.
1971: Wearing a gas mask, but without a seat belt. The light veils that ladies wore to drive in the early 20th century could no longer do the job. Cyclists started wearing protective masks (long before the coronavirus pandemic). Drivers do it too, though not as often.
Bicycle couriers have long known about air pollution.
Cabaret dancers are ready for surprises. Before World War II, the British government decided to issue gas masks not only to the military but also to the civilian population, fearing a chemical attack. Twenty years earlier, during World War I, chlorine and mustard gas had been used. By 1938, the authorities had succeeded in equipping 35 million inhabitants with gas masks. They became a familiar detail in many walks of life, from cabarets to street patrols.
Friendly policemen patrol the streets. Animals were also given gas masks. At Chessington Zoo, west of London, camels were given individual gas masks. Horses, on the other hand, were given baggy, one-size-fits-all masks.
The camel was given an individual gas mask.
The camels are on their way to a measurement.
Horses received less individual protection.
To stop the spread of the disease, trains and buses were sprayed with a disinfectant solution. Just over 100 years ago, shortly after the end of World War I, a flu pandemic killed at least 50 million people worldwide. It was called the “Spanish flu” because the first cases of the disease were recorded in Spain. It is believed that the spread of the virus in Britain was accelerated by soldiers returning home from northern France after the end of World War I. They traveled in overcrowded trains and trucks, easily transmitting the disease to each other. Then it began to spread from train stations to city centers, and from there to suburbs and rural areas. In the final weeks of World War I, the Spanish flu spread rapidly around the world. Transportation companies tried to fight the spread of the virus by spraying buses and trains with disinfectant. Workers were also required to wear face masks. In the 1918 issue of The Nursing Times, there was an article about how nurses in one of the London hospitals erected partitions between beds and everyone who entered the infectious zone wore a mask and a protective suit. Ordinary people were urged by the authorities to “wear masks to save their own lives. Many made them themselves from gauze, while others added drops of disinfectant.
Passers-by in London wearing masks over their mouths.
“On the streets of London, people were wearing masks and using hand sanitizer.”
1985. Singer Boy George arrives at Heathrow Airport wrapped in a scarf. Another type of mask has recently appeared. It is suitable for those who need to protect their face from the gaze of intrusive fans (and possibly enemies). These masks are perfect for celebrities who want to draw attention to themselves and who seem to be trying to avoid it, as if insisting: “I don’t want to be recognized, so I cover my face with a very conspicuous mask.” It remains to be seen how the current situation has affected famous mask wearers, considering that no one is interested in wearing a mask on their face anymore.
Justin Bieber walks by completely unnoticed.