HOW THE DOCTOR WAS BORN part 2

So next up, it was time for me to really take a good hard look at what the public saw when they looked at me. I've always been very visual, it's the nature of my 21st century occupation... so I always like to examine pictures of myself after events so I can see what the public saw, so that I can try to improve on it. You know, like when a football team reviews game film.

What follows is a (very humbling) series of images from past events that will illustrate the evolution of the early Schoolmaster into the present Doctor.

Oh sweet mother! I cringe when I see this poor fellow, thankfully, there aren't many pictures of him floating around. This image is of me as the 'Schoolmaster' at an event in 2003 or 2004. Horrible white cotton shirt, frilly polyester neck stock, buff colored linen waistcoat with poured pewter buttons and a pair of buff colored linen breeches. I am also wearing quite possibly the WORST looking tricorn ever. I also have an unfashionable beard for the period.

Sometime later, 2004-2005 you can see, the same buff colored breeches (which looked filthy ALL the time), same buff linen waistcoat and another in a string of horrible white cotton shirts. I'd also grown my hair out in an attempt to look more 'period'. In other pictures from this event/period, you can see that I was wearing my garters on the outside of my breeches at the knees.

Please make note, I have on a modern ring on my right hand, as well as my modern glasses. Ugh!

Improvements? Sure! I ditched that wretched hat from before. I hated that OLD hat so much I almost completely refused to wear a hat of any sort for a long time.

This as taken in May of 2007 as I went to lend aid to a wounded fellow. I was still wearing stockings and shoes at this point, but as you can see here, one of the shoes had gotten sucked off my feet as I ran through a puddle. I knew right then it was time to ditch the shoes for boots.

Improvements? No more cotton shirt, the one above is a natural colored linen shirt. This is that same buff colored linen waistcoat that I started out in... but I'd dyed it in walnuts along with the original buff breeches to make them dark. It looked great and hid all the stains from projects past. I'd also replaced the pewter buttons on the waistcoat with black leather buttons (not visible in this picture). Pictured above is actually a NEW pair of breeches made for me that are a greenish color.

Still sporting sideburns, modern (shorter) hair and NO hat at this point. I have on period repro specs here, but they didn't do me much good given that the lenses are SO small.

I really turned a corner (in my opinion) when I purchased my wig. I was never really content with my 18th century appearance before... I just always felt like a guy with a modern haircut with funny clothes on. The minute I got my wig out of its box, it just clicked. I took one look in the mirror, and thought, "There's the 18th century guy I've been looking for".

I know it sounds silly, but it really does make a huge difference in your appearance, it even made me like wearing my hat again. So much so, I bought a new one and fixed it up into a tricorn myself!

Ugh, looking at pictures of yourself can be embarrassing... but it's a great way to really analyze what the public sees, and what you want to improve about your clothing, hair, etc.

To be continued...