Showing posts with label Skeleton Suits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skeleton Suits. Show all posts

Friday, 14 August 2015

Historical Research

It is all too easy to become careless about research when writing a novel whether it is contemporary or historical

I knew that young boys in the Regency wore dresses and ankle length drawers. However, I assumed they were breeched by the age of three.

The heroine in my new novel, Tuesday's Child, has a three and three quarter year-old son.

I researched children's clothes. Boys wore skeleton suits. The ankle length trousers fastened with buttons to a tight jacket that had a double row of buttons fastened down the front. Alternatively, the trousers were fastened to a shirt, so that the jacket could be left open to reveal frills down the front of a blouse, which had a wide collar edged with a frill.

I described young Arthur in his 'skeleton suit' and tried, unsuccessfully, to find out if the term was used in the Regency period.

After much more research I found out that boys were not breeched until they were about five years of age. Arthur now wears a  gown with a high waist and low neck, ankle length drawers, and white stockings. When he goes out he wears a top hat instead of a bonnet that girls wore.

I still need to research fabrics - materials, wool, cotton, silk, plain, sprigged, patterned or tartan.
As a historical novelist I try my hardest to be accurate. 

Rosemary Morris
http://rosemarymorris.blogspot.com