I write historical mystery which requires a great deal of research. Fortunately for me, my novels are set in the late 1890s. As history goes, that’s not so long ago and information is boundless. I can lose myself in the newspaper archives for hours and sometimes I lose my focus as well. I’ve wiled away hours researching the process for leasing a house, a typical dinner menu, or what a butler would be paid, detail that never made it into my books. I don’t know if I’m researching or procrastinating but I find this information fascinating and I’m sure to need it someday.
But some of my favorite research has nothing to do with writing. It comes when my editor says those magic words—do you have some ideas for the cover? Do I ever! The cover is so much fun—fashions and hairstyles and hats—oh my! I don’t have much of a style of my own, jeans and tee-shirts are fine with me, but there’s something about pouring over vintage fashion plates; the sumptuous fabrics, the draping, the colors, the sheer artistry of design that brings out my inner fashionista.
As it happens, my main character, Frances doesn’t attend the races, at least not in this book, so I had to move on to more appropriate attire. Another of my go-to sites for 1890s fashion, is The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s digital collection, which contains fashion plates from the Costume Institute. https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15324coll12 Here I don’t have to settle on a typical outfit of the era. I can narrow my search to the year and even the season. This evening gown is from September of 1899.
Again, the hat is simply a work of art. Do I wear hats? No, never. I can’t explain my fascination, but I love whiling away many happy hours browsing through these plates.