Historical Reference
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Hi all,
Does anyone have favorite sources for collecting realistic historical reference? I'm thinking particularly about "medieval" reference for costumes. With the large span of time and lack of photography, it seems difficult to find good sources that will lay out time periods and detailed illustrations.
Just curious if anyone has found anything helpful here. Thanks!
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@skeletortoise Im a history nerd, but medieval is not area of knowledge, but in my scrounging around youtube for historical info, The Modern Knight may be a good resource, at least for knight armor wear. I'll attach link to his channel.
Honestly my best bet would be to just sift through some medieval art on a google search or wiki media commons. If you feel like you really need more inspiration, check out several well produced films set in medieval era, they are likely to have a lot of inaccuracy, but at least you will be in the ballpark and have some basics. Hope this helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8-eeJUcO5M&list=PLEdnpoTDGX7L2Wc5IQInUSXx6ZijEYl3m
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@skeletortoise there are books about midevil fashion. I have seen them at libraries and so forth. Though I bet you could do a search and find one that looks interesting to buy. I have never bought one because I have never had a need but I think they can be a good resource. Your own local library might have some as well
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@skeletortoise There is a ton of stuff out there, so much that the real problem is going to be narrowing it down. Basically, the original source is almost always going to be manuscripts, but there are lots of re-enactment groups, especially in Europe, who study these things in detail and sew their own costumes, do leather crafts for accessories, and even forge swords! Some are more accurate than others, though, so the trick is to find the right ones. Also the right period. All of the following are from the 14th C.:
Here's one I have used on Facebook: IG 14. Jahrhundert
My daughter and her husband do historical films and are very careful as to how they reconstruct their costumes, so you will find some photos here on IG as well: AM Productions Italia And here's a previous medieval film they did before they formed their current company: La traccia nel tempo
And here is just one of many, many manuscript sources: Bodleian Library MS. Bodl. 264
And then you're going to need a castle, village and crafts for your characters! Guédelon
And there are tons of YouTube channels that evaluate films for historical accuracy. Most of them are more recent, but if you search "Historically accurate medieval costumes" or "historically accurate film," I'm sure you'll find something.
And the recent medieval film Catherine Called Birdy wasn't exactly accurate, but it sure is hilarious and fun to look at! Just keep in mind that, enough though fashion didn't move along as quickly as it does now, it did move, so decide which period you're looking up before you start. My resources tend to the late 13th and early 14th century, because I consider that a fascinating, if turbulent, period of history.
There's a whole lot more where those came from, more than I can ever post here (it's a huge rabbit hole, maybe even a black hole) so happy hunting, and don't forget to come out of the hole eventually and start drawing!
Also, artist Claire Hummel has shared a document she wrote with links specifically about historical costuming. It is excellent and includes TONS of great resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R8eulTsb9Zlc7h2H917dNJZS9s0rIq9OAu7LpSS9F2k/edit?usp=sharing
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There is a lot of photo reference available for sale on ArtStation.
A lot of it is AI-generated, but before that was allowed on Artstation there was a substantial collection of photos that were authentic and intended for reference use. Since Fantasy is a huge component over there, a lot of packages of Medieval-inspired fully-clothed models were created.
You might find something there: https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/game-dev?section=trending&q=photo reference&page=4
You might also try Bloshka, which is full of historical painting reference:
http://bloshka.info/Children's Illustration Portfolio: https://www.coreyartusillustration.com
Art Portfolio: https://www.coreyartusimagery.com
Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@Coreyartus
Pixelfed: https://pixelfed.social/Coreyartus -
@Katt Thanks so much! Yes I love his channel! I haven’t watched much recently, so I should check out his new stuff.
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@MerryMary Yeah, you’re right - going to have to do some digging there. Thanks!
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@LauraA Wow, thanks for all the info! And also that’s so cool that your daughter does that - my dream job would probably be working on films so I’m always interested in people making them. I’m going to check out these sources. Thank again!
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@Coreyartus Thanks so much for the links. I don’t go on ArtStation near enough - there is some pretty great reference there.
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I would think looking at traditional art from the medieval and Middle Ages would offer some insight into clothing to inspire your creative take on costuming.
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Many places have local heritage museums with historians or actors dressed in near period-accurate attire. Ireland has some well-preserved mummies, completely dressed, recovered from bogs. I'm sure if you send an e-mail to a museum curator, they would be intrigued enough to assist.
Medieval fairs can be a good starting point as well. People there usually make their own costumes and are likely to have a conversation with you about it. Would be good career investment to start a friendship with a costume maker.
If you’re looking for clothing of noblemen, look up royale museums. At least the English saved all the royale clothing from back to the days of the Tudor period.
Churches are a good source of reference. Illuminated manuscripts, statues and stain glass windows sometimes has artwork that depict contemporary life.
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@willicreate Thanks! Wouldn’t have thought of contacting a museum curator, but you may have something there!
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@skeletortoise Good to hear you found that suggestion helpful. Might be a long shot, but it doesn't cost anything to ask.
