The Plague Doctor

Its true...I have the plague...okay, maybe not the plague. Just a virus. A horrible virus with a never ending supply of the green stuff...all blocked in my head. Yuk. Yuk. Yuk.

I've spent the past week in bed. Which is quite something because I don't give in to these things easily. I finally made it out my home yesterday for a 5 minute walk to the doctor. I nearly keeled over in reception with the exertion!

So...no craft fair for me tomorrow. With the cold weather I dare not risk standing outside for any length of time. Very frustrating as I've worked so hard for it. It's just one of those things though.

I'm now waiting for the antibiotics to do their stuff so I can get back into action after the weekend.

Here's a Plague Doctor costume I made for my Dad.

Not the average request for a costume...

He was a member of The Sealed Knot. A charity that does battle re-enactments. Often large scale with horses and cannons. It brought into play his medical experience, his love of history and attention to detail. He loved it!



Normally he would play the part of the Barber Surgeon. The surgeon looked after the solders during battle time. Then he moved on to the Plague Doctor. He had the mask made and asked me to create the costume to go with it.

The mask is made of dark red leather. There are small circles of glass to see through. It has a long pointed nose with small openings underneath the nose which the doctor could breathe through. The nose would be filled with straw to filter the air and scented spices and leaves to make the air smell sweeter. At the back of the mask were holes to lace through leather cording to hold it into place.

To make the costume I used an old operating theatre gown as a template. I sewed a large red cross on the front. The cross is hidden by the 'scarf' used to ensure there was no gap between the mask and the gown. You wouldn't want any germs to sneak in anywhere when dealing with the plague!

To finish the costume off was a white stick. Used to examine the victims so the doctor didn't have to touch them himself!

Sadly I have to use the past tense when talking about my Dad. He died a few years after I made this costume. We donated all the things he had collected to a young person who was involved in the charity and shown an interest in the role. The costume lives on!

Google Image 'The Plague Doctor'. I dare you. It's the stuff of nightmares...

Until tomorrow,
Nic xx