Tag: Sandra Merville Hart

Historical authors can glean a wealth of information from old photos. They give an unintentional glimpse into everyday life of the time period. Authors stumble across these gems as a natural part of research. It’s important not to overlook the value of these snapshots.

Before we dive into some examples, let’s discuss ways to find photographs.

Research leads us to libraries lavishly filled with nonfiction books. Many of these contain photos, sketches, and illustrations. Another source is the Internet, which has an abundance of research sites. Local museums are also excellent sources for these visual aids.

[bctt tweet=”Old photos capture unintentional glimpses of everyday living for #Historical authors. #writing ” username=”@Sandra_M_Hart”]

For instance, while writing novels set during the Civil War, 1861-1865, I found sketches, paintings, and photographs of soldiers, battlefields, and weapons in books and on websites that added depth to my understanding of battles.

Regardless of where the photos are found, they present valuable clues that enrich our stories. Let’s look at some examples.

The main picture on this post is a painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It shows a group of mostly seated men suitably dressed for the 1776 event. A patterned rug covers only that part of the wooden floor where the most important persons in the room sit. A bordered cloth covers the two tables of what is presumably the president and the secretary. Elaborate ceiling molding and curtains indicate the meeting’s likely location is a town�����s public office or a wealthy man’s residence. It would be interesting to research the flags on the wall — colonial or British? What we don’t know from a careful perusal is the year of the work or if the artist witnessed the event. If not, who supplied the descriptions for the artist? If many years passed between the event and the painting, authors may desire to dig through period writings if they intend to use the painting for novel descriptions.

The second example appears to be a school photo. Churches also snapped similar poses. The children are around the same age, sitting/standing for a group photo in a way that most of us have posed at school. Studying the hairstyles and clothing offers ways to approximate the year this was taken. For example, most girls are wearing anklets or knee socks. When were these worn? All girls wear a dress or skirt but the boys don’t wear suits, at least at this school. This also helps date the picture.

Authors love to find old Montgomery Ward or Sears, Roebuck catalogs because they show available products for a particular year. Though not from a catalog, the third example is an advertisement. In March 1896, “The Black Cat” cost five cents. The Shortstory Publishing Company in Boston ran the ad so does this mean “The Black Cat” was a book or magazine? It seems likely since the publisher has “shortstory” in its name and the ad references The Marchburn Mystery. Or is it a play? A rabbit and a black cat each play a banjo on the cover to entice customers.

I resisted the urge to research any of these pictures; I wanted to show what can be discovered by studying old pictures, paintings, and advertisements. Were I to use any of these in my story, I’d research further, but notice how much we learned from a photograph.

Photographers have a focal point such as a person or a landmark. Learn to look beyond the main focus of picture when researching. Notice the lantern hanging next to the door or the tire swing on an oak tree in the background. These everyday articles paint the picture we hope to portray to transport our readers back in time.

I watched a movie set in the 1800s recently where a child said, “Cool!” He didn’t refer to the temperature; something good happened. The comment jolted me out of the scene because it didn’t belong.

I’m currently reading a novel set in the 1600s. I’ve enjoyed learning about everyday living in that time period. However, the novel contains modern phrases that don’t fit the time period, such as read me like a book. This didn’t fit my perception of the vernacular from three hundred years ago and temporarily took me out of the story.

It’s probably a given that all historical authors will sometimes choose familiar words that don’t belong in the setting, but how can we limit these mistakes?

[bctt tweet=”Avoid a common mistake made by #historical #authors by immersing yourself in books set around your novel’s era.” username=”@Sandra_M_Hart”]

The first way is by immersing yourself in books set near the time period of your novel. For example, when researching the American Civil War, I started by reading soldier accounts. These informative transported me to battlefields. Diaries written by slaves, Southern wives, and Northern abolitionists demonstrated beliefs and opinions as well as words used to express themselves. These gave the civilian perspective. Novels such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Little Women, and A Man Without a Country are just a few of the books that taught me the faith and values that people held dear.

Become a detective while enjoying novels written during the time period. Read between the lines. For example, contemporary writers rarely describe phones because we all know what one looks like and its function. The same thing is true of books written two hundred years ago; everyday objects such as oil lamps are rarely described so read as if you are a detective searching for clues.

Another great tool at an author’s fingertips is the Online Etymology Dictionary. This dictionary shows the meaning, origin, and the approximate year a particular word began to be used.

For instance, some probably imagine the word cool started to refer to something other than temperature in the 1970s. The link above shows the word started to mean general approval in the 1940s, possibly earlier than expected.

We often say sure in our contemporary novels. This word has actually been in use for a long time. Charles Dickens used the word in A Christmas Carol, making it safe for me to write it in my Civil War novels. Checking the Etymology Dictionary shows that sure as the affirmative yes began around 1803. Sure thing is another term often used in historical novels – this is correct if your novel is set in 1836 or later.

An online source for the origin and meaning of phrases if a great writing tool. This link contains lists for Phrases coined by William Shakespeare, Phrases first found in the Bible, and Famous Last Words – to name a few. These are interesting and fun. While searching for a particular phrase, you may find a different one that fits even better.

I didn’t find the date that read me like a book came into usage. Well-read is surprisingly from the 1590s and reread as a verb began in 1782. This site is such a gift to authors.

When writing a word or phrase in your historical novel that an editor or critique partner questions, click on these links and dig deeper.

Chances are you and your critiquer will both learn something.