Lisa Brown (Picture the Dead, Vampire Boy’s Good Night) recently posted a link on Facebook to My Daguerreotype Boyfriend on Tumblir, and I was all over that immediately. I do like a man in historical dress! When I took my daughter Gabbey to see Eclipse, I didn’t have a flicker of interest in Edward (too pasty) or Jacob (too bulgy), but I sat up and paid attention when Jasper appeared in his Confederate uniform!
Of course technically the men in these daguerreotypes don’t count as wearing “historical dress” because they are dressed in the contemporary fashion of their times. And they are yummy – luminous eyes, tousled hair – I mean, check out the one at the top of this post. I look at him and see … Hodge. That is, Madison Hodge, the romantic lead in one of my manuscripts. I had an image of this character in my mind as I wrote Strange Truths, and when I accidentally stumbled across this picture on the internet a year ago, I couldn’t believe it. Because this man completely matched my mental image of Hodge.
Who is he really? He’s Robert Cornelius, the inventor of the daguerreotype. That picture is believed to be the very first photograph of a human being. It’s a self-photograph; Robert used a remote switch, and it’s dated 1839. That’s about 50 years early to be my Hodge, but still …
Wanna see another one? How do you like this handsome young man? Believe it or not, this is Almanzo Wilder, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder. NICE, huh? Makes living on the prairie seem a whole lot more attractive!
If you have any interest in some long-gone, but exceedingly good-looking gentlemen (okay, they weren’t all gentlemen – a number of them appear to have been criminals …), definitely give My Daguerreotype Boyfriend a look!
P.S. – One of my 5th grade students, Lin-z, has started her own book review blog, and I was honored to have my manuscripts among her early reviews. She’s just starting out as a blogger and already a beta-reader! Way to go, Lin-z! I know she’d be thrilled if you stopped by and left a comment.
I will check out the link to your student’s blog.
I don’t mind an old fashioned guy in uniform. **smiles**
I loved Jasper’s flashback. Oh and the way he says, “Yes, ma’am.” **smiling again**
That’s an interesting observation about the dress-style of ‘the man’ and how one internal reacts. So, does a cover really make the character?? We should do a post or blogfest about that. 🙂
I’ve never really been attracted to the old-fashioned dress, but I’m going to have to head over to that website now!
Hmm. I think I have the same reaction to a man in a kilt as you do to a man in period dress. 😉
And nice review of you ms at your student’s blog! Sounds fascinating to me. 🙂
Greetings From Southern California
I am your newest follower. I invite you to visit my blog and become a follower, if you want too.
God bless you and have a nice day 🙂
I too, have a thing for men in historical dress. However, it doen’t outweigh my fetish for a guy in modern day uniform. Especially french firemen. Hubba hubba.
For me, it isn’t so much the period clothes as it is the photographs. There’s something about the old photos that captures the moment and the essence of the men much more intimately than modern cameras. On the other hand, if the men in those pictures were wearing a pair of “pants on the ground” britches and a dirty wife-beater undershirt, I probably wouldn’t be nearly as intrigued in their “essence” …
Ha! This is a new concept for me. I enjoyed My Daguerreotype Boyfriend and look forward to visiting Lin-z
I still have a thing for Jasper in his get up. I think I’ll have to watch the movie again. 😀
OOOh Madison Hodge–I like it!!!
Yep Jasper looks better in that than in the rest of the movies combined!