8 Ways to be a Better Historical Reenactor

Looking for ways to improve your reenactor-game? Here are some easy suggestions that can help you do just that! 

8.) GATHER YOUR RESOURCES

Everyone should do research into their clothing and gear. What you wear and why you wear it. Get your primary and secondary sources together, images, links, etc. Then put them all online somewhere like a Facebook Album or a Pinterst board so that you can show them off. If anyone questions what you have on or your gear, you have your research all gathered and ready to show off.

7.) DON’T PLATEAU

‘Plateau-ing’ is something I’ve noticed with a lot of reenactors, they reach a certain point in their interpretation and they just stop like this is the 100 meter dash. They want to research really fast to get to the ‘end’ so they can be ‘done’.

I’ve got news for you kids, you’re never going to be ‘done’ researching and improving. There’s always more to learn, more to discover. New things are being found all the time, sometimes they serve to confirm what you’re doing and sometimes they will challenge or even prove what you’re doing is wrong… but history isn’t a 100 yard dash for a finish line so that you can go rest and never research again.

6.) DON’T COPY THINGS YOU SEE ON TV OR MOVIES

I know, first hand, how tempting it can be to want to copy something cool you've seen in your favorite period-movie.

Because we never know where or even IF the costumes designers have done their research, it’s not safe to copy movie/tv costumes. Not even if the program was produced for the BBC. Not even if it’s your favorite movie of all time. Instead, the proper way to make use of movie/tv costumes is to use them for inspiration… use them to fuel your own research based on primary and secondary sources.

5.) DON’T COPY OTHER REENACTORS

This is another one where we never know where (or IF) they’ve done their research. They may look great, but make sure you’re doing the research to back up your stuff...

4.) DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE ‘TYPICAL’

There’s no shame in representing the societal norms for the era you portray. When everyone at the event is the historical oddity or representing something rarely seen… then the public can get the wrong idea of what MOST of your era looked like.

3.) CITE YOUR SOURCES

“Nullius in verba”, is Latin for "Take nobody's word for it". You don't have to have everything written out in MLA format, but if you can’t tell me what primary and secondary books and images you’ve taken your impression from, I’m going to be VERY skeptical about your impression. I would see your research sir!

2.) MODERN BEARD/GLASSES/SHOES

These are the big three things that will kill you impression the fastest. Facial hair differs from era to era, so make sure to do your homework and find out what's appropriate and what's not for the time-period you're doing. If you need glasses, consider getting period correct frames, contacts, or just going without if you can. 

1.) IF YOU KNOW BETTER, DO BETTER

Not long ago, I spotted a friend's images from a recent historical reenactment they attended where the participants ran rampant with inappropriate facial hair, modern shoes and glasses, clothes made and/or worn wrong by men AND women. Their camps were filled with modern camping gear and camp furniture. The event looked like a train wreck, full of modern anachronisms, showing the worst sort of ‘historical reenactment’. I shudder to think what kind of ‘knowledge’ the public walks away from an event like that with.

In my frustration, I asked the fateful question, “What the hell are they doing?”.

Do they care that they’re perpetrating false history? Are they aware that they’re making themselves and the event look bad? Are they lazy? Are they just camping in funny clothing? I know they KNOW better, so why didn’t they DO better?

I’ve said it before, I'm a firm believer in research… and in theory ALL historical interpreters/re-enactors should be. It's the MOST important tool we have in our arsenal for showing the public what life was like in the past. Because, at the end of the day we're supposed to be displaying and depicting correct history, or at least as correct as we can make it… right? It is OUR job as historical interpreters/re-enactors to be as historically accurate as we can for the public.

Do you have any easy suggestions for reeanactors to improve their impressions? Please feel free to share them in the COMMENTS section below, we'd love to hear your ideas!

Interested in having a look at some of our other reenactor lists?

The 7 Worst Things About Being a Reenactor

The most AWESOME things about being a Reenactor!

7 Stupid things asked of Historical Reenactors

7 Historical 'Facts' Learned From Reenactments

6 Skills Our Forefathers Had That Reenactors Don't

If you have enjoyed reading this or the other adventures of HMS Acasta, be certain to become an honorary member of the crew. This is a easy way to show us that you're out there and paying attention. If you find a post that you are particularly fond of... be sure to share a link with your friends, over Facebook, Tumblr, Google Plus, etc. so they can enjoy it too!

The Acasta log is generally updated every weekday by 8am CST, visit back often, and encourage your History Nerd/Reenacting/Royal Navy friends to visit us.

Thanks for reading!

Because Research is Important

I'm a firm believer in research… and in theory ALL historical interpreters/re-enactors should be. It's the MOST important tool we have in our arsenal for showing the public what life was like in the past. Because, at the end of the day we're supposed to be displaying and depicting correct history, or at least as correct as we can make it… right? It is OUR job as historical interpreters/re-enactors to be as historically accurate as we can for the public.

I was not always this way. When I first got into reenacting as a hobby, I was guilty of what alot of reenactors do when they get started… I copied what I saw other reenactors doing & wearing. It's easy to fall into committing what are commonly referred to as 'reenactorisms', because when you see 'everyone' doing something, it's very natural to assume that it must be right, or at least have SOME basis in historical fact.

With the help of some awesome people along the way, and a TON of reading on my own… I eventually got started in a more 'research based' direction.

Some important things to remember:

DO NOT copy the clothing of other costumed interpreters or reenactors.

DO NOT copy clothing you saw in a period movie or television program (even if it was done by the BBC).

While they may look great, you never know what research (if any) has gone into their interpretation, so it's always important to do your own research.

Want to see some of the research that has gone into my impression? Check out these albums on Facebook:

The SURGEON'S UNIFORM

MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION

To that end, everything you wear and carry should be researched. When it comes to primary source documentation, what you're looking for is: WRITTEN DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PERIOD, FASHION PLATES, PORTRAITS, and ORIGINAL GARMENTS.

One of the great things about doing an impression like an officer in the Royal Navy, is that there is a wealth of all of those types of documentation that are fairly easy to find.

If you'd like to see some of the work that went into my particular uniform, be sure to check that project out HERE.

The beauty of our hobby (and History in general) is that you can never know everything! Even if you read and research all the time, you'll never learn all there is to know.

So my mandate to you is this, 'always be working'.

"How" you ask? Whether that means working on your first person impression, working on improving your clothing, working on your knowledge of the period or working to bring ideas to the table for  events you attend regularly… don't get lazy or comfortable, don't plateau in your interpretation. I want to encourage you to always be working and researching, because there is always room for improvement!