From Atlas Obscura: When High-Class Ladies Wore Masks That Made It Impossible to Speak.

For refined, upper-class ladies in 16th-century Europe, getting a tan, especially on your face, was not a good look.

The implication of such coloring was that one must work outside, and thus, quite possibly be poor (cue gasps and swooning faints). So to make sure they didn’t get burned, some 16th-century ladies wore face masks called visards (or vizards) that covered their delicate visages. Unfortunately, the masks also made it so they couldn’t speak. And, look as if they belonged to an evil cult. [continue]

You know you want more details, yes? And for that, see:

• A 16th Century “Visard” Mask – houseffg.org
• Visard – Wikipedia