Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Masks were commonly used by ladies in the reign of Elizabeth, and when their use was revived at the Restoration for respectable women attending the theatre, they became general. They soon, however, became the mark of loose women, and their use was discontinued by women of repute. On June 1st, 1704, a song was sung at the theatre in Lincoln’s Inn Fields called “The Misses’ Lamentation for want of their Vizard Masques at the Theatre.” Mr. R. W. Lowe gives several references to the use of vizard masks at the theatre in his interesting biography, “Thomas Betterton.”
viz·ard also vis·ard…n.
A visor or mask.
A disguise.
[Alteration of obsolete vizar, from Middle English viser. See visor.]
http://www.answers.com/topic/vizard
Visor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Vizard (Shakespearean English))
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vizard_%28Shakespearean_English%29
“Vizard masks
This refers to the Restoration fashion of wearing a face mask which covered the entire face, the vizard mask soon became associated with prostitution and a ‘vizard mask’ became a synonym for a ‘Daughter of Venus’(prostitute). The vizard-masks were in abundance at the playhouses and plied their trade at each level of the auditorium. Originally they were worn by ladies not wishing to risk an insult to their modesty when attending a new comedy, indeed they become very popular in the reign of Charles II. Pepys talks of going to buy his wife a vizard. Later the wearing of full facial masks was abolished, because of the connection with prostitutes. The comic potential of such confusion is at once apparent and was used by numerous playwrights. William Wycherley uses masks to great effect in his famous play The Country Wife:
Pinchwife: Pshaw, a mask makes people but more inquisitive, and is ridiculous a disguise as a stage-beard…
No, I’ll not use her to a mask, ‘tis dangerous; for masks have made more cuckolds
than the best faces that ever were known.11
(Act iii, scene i.)”
From the interesting website
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_se/murray/Restoration/Theatres/Area_Aud.html