OK. This is pretty simple. I'm wondering when did people, and where, did they begin to care about their toe and finger nails? When did people decide to start clipping them consistently and paint them? How'd they paint nails back in the day, as well?
hi! hopefully this post will attract some answer re "when"/"where" and nail painting, but FYI, there's a section in the FAQ on nail trimming that can get you started on some of the "how" background:
*see the link on the sidebar or the wiki tab