#isblackbutlerhistorical?yes

[isblackbutlerstorical]

Episode 3 - Elizabeth’s dress

Now for this episode, I’m doing something a bit different. The ep is a bit of a filler and doesn’t show much in the way of technologies or things to reference. So I’ve decided to do an analysis of Elizabeth’s outfits, although since they are both quite similar I shall explore them as one. 

As we can see above, Elizabeth wears a dress reaching below her knees, with poofed sleeves that also open at the wrist into a trumpet style. The neckline tends to be quite high, and both have a visible waistline flaring outward into a hoop-skirt shape. We can also see that there are some ruffles at the back, with a decorative bow. 

 Let’s begin by establishing some facts that we already know. We know Elizabeth is upper class, and that she is about 12 at this point and so would begin to wear more adult styles. We also know that this is set in England during the late Victorian era. Based on what we’ve already explored, the time is most likely around 1880s-1890s, however, fashion can be a bit more interpretive so let’s allow for some liberties there. 

The dress shape, and the ruffles at the front, are quite typical of dresses from the 1860s-1880s. As we can see in this etching, girls dresses could feature many decorative ruffles and bows, as well as the tiered, open-front skirt. This length is a tad shorter than Elizabeth’s but does show us that any length between knee to ankle was appropriate for a girl her age. 

The back ruffles are also shown within this time period. Every woman in this image shows decorative back ruffles and layers. These are full-length dresses, and also feature a bustle (a type of padding used to accentuate the backside) which Elizabeth doesn’t, although given her age this isn’t necessarily inaccurate.  

The trouble comes with the sleeves. Elizabeth is wearing sleeves that have a poofed shoulder, but trumpet cuffs. Both exist in this period, but not at the same time. The trumpet sleeves, shown below, are from 1858 and were phased out by the 1870s. Whilst the poofed sleeves, further down, were from 1892. It would be very unusual to see a dress with both designs at once. 

The closest I could find to a dress featuring both sleeves was this one, from 1895. 

So whilst her dress shape and decorative elements are very period-accurate, her sleeves have elements from both the 1860s and the 1890s, which would not have been done. Given that most of the show suggests the time is closer to 1880s-1890s, it’s more likely she would have worn the puffed sleeve style. 

If I were to quickly redesign her dress, this is how I would imagine it. Not too different, just different sleeves, and a slightly later skirt style. However, her design is still lovely and pays homage to the fashions across the period while retaining a unique charm. There’s nothing wrong with some creative liberties in character designs, even within historical fiction. 

References: 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/history-of-fashion-1840-1900/

https://karleeaturner.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/bustle-period-of-1870-1890/

[isblackbutlerstorical]

Episode 1 - the telephone

In Episode 1, Ciel is visited by Damien, who at one point slips away to use Ciel’s telephone, as we can see above. This phone has a very distinct earpiece with a curved mouthpiece and rests on an ornate stand. 

So how historically accurate would this telephone have been?

The telephone as we know it, and as the victorian’s would have known it, was patented in 1876 by Alexander Bell, therefore it very much did exist at this time. Whilst other designs for long-distance communication that resembled the telephone did exist some time prior to this, Mr Bell’s patent allowed for them to be commercially produced, which would allow for Ciel to own one in his home. 

The design of the phone is also period accurate. I’ve found an example here of an authentic telephone dated to 1892, which as you can see shows a very similar ear and mouthpiece, as well as an ornate stand. Whilst 1892 is a little later in the period than some other events go on to suggest the show is set in, it is still well within the Victorian Era, and therefore, quite possible for Ciel to have owned. This suggests that the telephone design and usage shown in episode 1 is period-accurate.

references:

Brown, Travis (1994). Historical first patents: the first United States patent for many everyday things (illustrated ed.). University of Michigan: Scarecrow Press. p. 179. ISBN 978-0-8108-2898-8. 

https://learnantiques.com.au/telephones-evolution-of-different-styles-and-tones/

Ericsson Dachshund telephone of 1892

[isblackbutlerstorical]

Episode 2 - Guns, Cars, and more telephones.

In episode 2, Sebastian rescues Ciel from a group of mafia/gangsters, and we get a chance to see 3 new technologies from there era. These are: a sniper rifle, a car, and a field telephone. Let’s begin with the earliest that we see.

The Sniper Rifle

A would-be assassin attempts to kill Sebastian with what appears to be a sniper rifle, with a telescope attachment. In a close-up upon Sebastian, we can see that this telescope also includes crosshairs. Would a victorian hit-man have used such a weapon?

The military rifle, then called the Enfield Rifle, was patented in 1853 and used by British Soldiers. The sniper rifle itself was patented one year later in 1854, and known as the Whitworth rifle. This had improved accuracy, however as you can see in the image below, did not include a telescope. 

Interestingly enough, there are records of telescopes being used on firearms as early as 1844, with practical applications of them from the 1880s onwards. Therefore, this type of rifle, and the usage of a telescope attachment is entirely plausible in Black Butler. 

The Car

Next, Sebastian gave chase after the snipe and his getaway driver, driving what appears to be an early car. We can clearly see a self-powered vehicle, with a steering wheel, and even suggestion of a gear stick right below it. The car design is of an open-carriage, with two rows of seats. Let’s explore the usage of cars in the victorian era. 

A variety of steam-powered vehicles, such as steam trains and steam cars did exist in the victorian era, and even caused the Locomotive Act of 1865 to be published as a result. However, this car looks closer to a fuel-powered car, as we cannot see the engine itself, nor a vent for any steam to come out. Such cars with combustion engines, similar to our modern cars, were patented in 1879 by Karl Benz, and sold commercially from 1888 onwards.  

The design of this car looks closest to the photo above, of an 1899 Daimler car. Note the large thin wheels, the position of the steering wheel, and the two rows of seats. While this is a very late date, 1899 is still just within the Victorian period, and there was the existence of such cars being commercial sold even prior to this. Therefore, it is possible for the gangsters to own and use a combustion-engine car. 

The Field Telephone

As we established in the analysis of episode 1, commercially available telephones did very much exist at the time. However, this is not your average telephone - it is a field telephone. These were used for long-distance communication where communication on-the-go may be required, most commonly for war and military groups. But how likely is it that a victorian gangster would have had one? 

Well, barely. This image is of an 1898 field telephone, designed for use by the British Army. They were used by the British during the 2nd Boer war (1899-1902), however, they were not at all as functional as this episode suggestions; known to be fragile, difficult to hear, and became harder to use when far away from telephone poles. So, I believe it is unlikely that gangsters would have access to a fully functional field telephone that could work during a high-speed car chase when not even the military did. Possible, but quite unlikely. 

Quite a long analysis, but this episode had a lot to cover! 2/3 isn’t so bad though, and overall, episode 2 is mostly plausible! 

references:

http://www.americancivilwarstory.com/whitworth-rifle.html 

https://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9781849084857?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=je6NUbpObpQ&utm_campaign=10&siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-rwEzqDQHVRnN1I8WVt2nMg 

"The 1860's Target Rifle". Snipercountry.com. 29 June 2000. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.

Stein, Ralph (1967). The Automobile Book. Paul Hamlyn.  

http://louderfunier.blogspot.com/2008/08/cars-of-1800s_28.html 

https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5bee02a621ea6707803382c6 

Sterling, Christopher H.; Military Communications: From Ancient Times to the 21st Century (2008). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-732-6 p. 444.  

https://www.e-ir.info/2011/10/09/the-second-anglo-boer-war-the-russo-japanese-war-and-the-shifts-in-the-nature-of-warfare/#_ftn17 

https://oldbike.eu/1898-ericsson-field-telephone-c-mark-1/