Hamlet? Definitely ham.

I've been looking through the NYPL image archives, because I decided I needed some Renaissance icons. The I decided I needed some Shakespeare icons. So I've been looking up pictures related to productions of Shakespearean plays. (See the icon with this post? Yeah, I made that. With my mad mouse clicking and dragging skills.)

This has led me to realize how very spoiled modern people are when it comes to costuming for Shakespearean productions. Compared to what was going on in the Victorian era, The Other Boleyn Girl is impeccably researched.

Like this. This would never happen today. You just do not see that much man-thigh, however tightly clad said thigh is, in theatre and film today when it comes to Shakespeare. He clearly is not wearing pumpkin pants. He is not even wearing ornamental gourd pants. Even the Nicholas Hilliard painting of that guy in the white doublet with the teeny-tiny pumpkin pants clearly shows there are pumpkin pants, while displaying quite a bit of slender man-thigh.

And this? Those are clearly cut-off jean shorts in black wool. Poor Monsieur Mounet-Sully. I think he might have been casted for his ability to fill out a pair of tights. Seriously, those muscles are not from wool padding.

Zero can be a very large number

Note: I wrote this earlier tonight, around 9, so the night is no longer young. I have, since then, ripped out the strap seams on the bodice.

I did absolutely no sewing today, past removing the lacing ribbons from the bodice. Yay, go me. The night is still young, though, so I could still conceivably mark the cutting lines and remove the stitching from the straps. Or I could curl up with the book that stole my motivation. The last one's most likely.

I did, however, dig through my jewelry box in pursuit of 16th-century jewelry, and I think I've found a ring that will do.

( The ring in question )

Does everyone think this looks acceptable for the 16th century? It is, in fact, an Avon ring, as AVON is stamped on the underside of the setting. This means that the metal is not gold, but fake, fake, fake. I can wear it on every finger except my pinkies and my right index finger. Oh, and my thumbs. So I can wear it on half my fingers.

I base its acceptability on this description of an emerald ring found in the Cheapside hoard: "There is an emerald rings set with seven stones, one in the center and six surrounding it to form a flower pattern." (On this page.) Yep, that's my ring, but with "pearls" and "turquoise".

I also found this assortment of tickery-tackery. Guys, it's either a treasure trove or I'm destined to move to Vegas (or the Dejope Casino, for people from Wisconsin).

( Behold! )