Due to an unexpected turn of events, I am emceeing this month’s Dr. Sketchy, with its steampunk theme! What ripping fun, I say!
I enjoy steampunk, even as my eternal steampunk rant is that I want to see more 18th-century steampunk – the 18th century being the era of the scientific discoveries that began the Industrial Revolution. But, no, popular culture has decreed that steampunk is based on the techno-Victorian retro-future-past that never was, pass the bustles and Nikola Tesla references.
Dapper Dinosaurs! Click on the link and be amazed. For hours. I was.
Victorian fashion webcomic goodness from David Malki’s Wondermark. Reused with permission.
And then there’s Sydney Padua’s delightful comments on her own steampunk webcomic, 2D Goggles, set in the 1830s. “Spot the point at which fashion FELL OFF A CLIFF!â€
Interestingly, there seems to be a big gap in fashion recreation between 1830 and the early 1860s. In the same way, until recently, only brave retro-lovers ventured into the 1930s, with their challenging bias-cuts and demented hats.