Why I Love Writing About Unusual Historical Professions by Christine Trent

If you’re reading this, you probably already love historical fiction. But why do you love it? Is it the idea of a time where women wore long dresses, the rich rode in fancy carriages, and everyday speech was so much more formal?

Sure.

But don’t you just love really learning something as you read historical fiction? Something that makes you say, “Huh! I never knew that about Richard III/the Druids/Roman centurions.” Me too. And one of my favorite things to read about is the unusual sorts of jobs people had in previous centuries. And so when I sat down to write my first book, I knew that the protagonist had to have a truly unusual profession.

In my first book, THE QUEEN’S DOLLMAKER, I wrote about. . .you guessed it, a dollmaker to Marie Antoinette. I’m a lifelong doll collector, and knew the dolls have been around for centuries, but had no idea how they were made in previous times. It was fascinating for me to learn that high quality 18th century dolls were carved of wood, and were mostly used by the upper classes to display fashions. Also, doll carving was typically a man’s job, done by carpenters.

In my next book, I decided to focus on what I consider a similar yet unique profession, waxworking, by inventing an apprentice to the great Madame Tussaud. It is remarkable how much work went into creating a single figure. . .and Tussaud was sculpting, designing tableaux in which the figures could be displayed, and running her exhibition hall, with her only help being just her young son, Joseph, for many years. Even with today’s modern waxworking techniques, it takes the artisans at Madame Tussaud’s nearly six months to create a figure.

Did you know that both men and women owned waxworks, but the women tended to enjoy more success? In England, anyway.

I picked out some occupations from A DICTIONARY OF OLD TRADES, TITLES, & OCCUPATIONS, by Colin Waters. Has anyone ever read or written historical fiction about a:

· Kiver (a brewery worker)?
· Knacker (a toymaker)?
· Jambee Maker (maker of a particular kind of fashionable walking cane)?
· Tax Collector?
· Chandler (candlemaker)?
· Hokey Pokey Man (Italian ice cream seller)?
· Coach Builder?
· Or how about a Papermaker, Coppersmith, Locksmith, Nailmaker, or Wheelwright?

I don’t know about you, but I can imagine fascinating stories being woven out of any of these professions.

Are there any other unusual professions you’ve read about and loved?

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Christine Trent debut novel, The Queen's Dollmaker, will be released today December 29th.
Here's a little preview:

A young woman, struggling to expand her London dollmaking trade, finds a surprising customer in Queen Marie Antoinette, an avid doll collector herself. This seemingly innocent exchange puts Claudette’s life in danger when she is lured to Paris under false pretenses. Money and jewels are being smuggled in dolls destined for the Queen, and have now been discovered by the fledgling revolutionary French government…


The author is currently working on her next book: The Wax Apprentice. To learn more don't forget to visit her lovely website: http://www.christinetrent.com/