''Mr Utterson the lawyer was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable''
Gabriel J. Utterson QC is London's most beloved elite Solicitor and ex-Barrister, at home in most London circles; his company is coveted for his dry wit, which he can dish out from behind a glass of his favourite gin and his inclination to help rather than reprove the misdeeds of his contemporaries. For Utterson is the man about town with a rational view on things, not easily caught up in excitement and the high pressure of city life. No matter what sort of down-going man would knock at the doors of Utterson's firm, there is never a shade of change to be found in his demeanour, which is undefeatably monotone and unexcitable.
Utterson is a devoted friend to those he has known the longest and to his kinsmen, and he prides himself on his stoic personality. By all accounts, he is not too dissimilar from his pet hound Jericho, a lethargic, loyal beast until it catches a scent, and turns into a relentless pursuer. But this popular image of him belies Utterson's true personality.
Gabriel is, by nature, a sharp man, with a now-stamped-out inclination toward natural flair and theatricality, and an appreciation for the arts that's simmered into distant acknowledgement. Much like another and more secretive, desperate and long shunned part of his identity, which finds purpose in being at the constant beck and call of his long-time friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, who is more than interested in the secret lives of London's elite. Gabriel hopes perhaps for a little more familiarity with Jekyll, a desire which he won't ever be able to shake unless he stops looking through purple-tinted glasses at all the Doctor does.
Scroll down for details on the costume design!
Character & Costume design
Utterson is a 49-year-old Englishman who's had an extremely successful career so far. I really wanted him to look his age and not shy away from this settled, professional Victorian look; his personality is also a big part of how I designed his outfit.
In my colour coding, brown is the colour of 'common' and normality. It's no surprise then that this is Utterson's main colour.
His suit is inspired by the 'sack-suit'. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a sack suit, but it does give him a very boxy and straight look.
The material is tweed with a purple wool weave, which is expensive; despite his dreary style, it's clear he spends money on good clothes. The purple symbolises how sinisterly intertwined Jekyll is in Utterson's life.
His glasses are another example of this: tortoiseshell-style, he's clearly affluent.
Utterson's cane is topped with a hound; it's the most ornate thing in his design. This is because Utterson has a hobby for collecting canes! He will frequently swap out his canes and browse shops for new ones he likes; it's something that remains of his more relaxed personality.
Obviously, his being a dog owner and the dog cane isn't random; Utterson has a doggish, subservient personality.
Jericho, his bloodhound, is Utterson's pride and joy and a constant companion during his walks with Enfield. The name is a reference to Dr Jekyll and Mr Seek, which partly inspired me when crafting elements of Utterson's story.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Like prize-fighting (pugilism), were contests that saw one on one combat and the spilling of blood. While fighting was perceived as traditionally English and masculine, pugilism and other bloodsports were considered a blight against the pending civilisation of the world as pushed by Victorian 'moral entreperneurs', such as renowned philanthropist and London socialite Dr Henry Jekyll. Prize-fighting enabled rioting, social-disorder, betting and other debaucherous activities. By this time, 1885, the sport has mostly lost its edge, being sanitised into gloved boxing, for a more respectable audience in more respectable times.
However even if stereotypically considered enjoyment of the so called 'plebian classes', enjoyment of prize-fighting and other bloodsports cut across class lines more often than not in the shadowed underbelly of London's foggy districts, where demand remained high. Particularly for those with a taste for blood.
New to London's underground prize-fighting scene is a Mr Edward Hyde, a Mysterious young scottish brute who doesn't mince his words for anyone. Despite not possesing an impressive stature, Hyde punches hard and precise, creating rumours of his naming every bone that he breaks whilst even leaving most Goliaths struggling against him.
Hyde's reputation leaves him with an intersting nickname both inspired by his vibrant eyes and his alleged victory against eight different opponents in his first fight as well as his tendency to leave his bling on his fists; Blue Rings
He likes to see and be seen, basking in the infamy that comes with his 'hobby' and ocupation as an underground bare-knuckle boxer. Whispers and reputation often percede him in certain crowds and he's getting used to not needing to fear predatory roadmen whenever he prowls the alleys and streets to his favourite Soho haunts, wether it's Dick's or Chez Jules.
Want to learn more about the exact history i'm referencing? Check out the links below. (academic papers require access)
Woolnough, G. (2014). Blood Sports in Victorian Cumbria: Policing Cultural Change. Journal of Victorian Culture, 19(3), 278–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/13555502.2014.947190
Pugilistic prosecutions: prize fighting and the courts in nineteenth century Britain https://web.archive.org/web/20050925170147/http://www2.umist.ac.uk/sport/SPORTS%20HISTORY/BSSH/The%20Sports%20Historian/TSH%2021-2/Art3-Anderson.htm
A couple of months ago now, I, through my own volition, got victimized by best selling book of the 1890's, Richard Marsh's 'THE BEETLE' I was under the asumption--- foolishly, that this was a work of political intrigue, gothicism and strange forces messing with London. What i got was a very unintentionally humorous discount Dracula, with insane characters and surprising Victorian slang (yes, it’s canon: a character calls someone’s house a “crib”).
Let's just say i had a good time. Down below I discuss some of my thoughts on the novel and my design.
Read more on the design and other thoughts!
One character i was partcularly taken with is the book's namesake! heavily summarised 'The Beetle', is a shapeshifting scarab type creature/person out for revenge due to bad past liasons with a famous british politician of the time....! what drama.
Unfortunately Marsh's predjudice does show strongly in his writing, this book and several of the other books he has written feature heavily the theme of 'foreign invasion' and the dangerous seductive and primitive nature of 'the other' particularly those in what at the time was called the 'oriental region'. (it's alarming how many times he wrote the same book if just judging by the abstract, makes me feel like he has a thing for this lol...)
Marsh clearly harbors the obviously racist views of his time and some may find the book difficult to read because of this. Beetle is treated without much nuance: the discriptions in the book are a clear give away the writing leans heavily into stereotype, which is a shame, March actively forgoes interesting plotlines and twists by leaning in to his dogma. I wish he had touched on so much more than just 'egypt thingy bad.' The potential was there.
Hence why i like to feature the character in my own universe. The design I have drawn up for Beetle here depicts them as the form they take as 'the woman of songs', not the form Beetle appears in for most of the novel. Which i haven't seen anyone do yet. I took Dick's discriptions with a grain of salt and have hopefully brought them to life in a more nuanced way.
FEATURES
The book does not give a discription for the woman of songs, but it's reasonably assumed that she and Beetle are the same person. Therefore i presumed that her facial features should be a more youthful (and less stereotypically exagerated) version of Beetle's.
Beetle has a soft, rounded face with a prominent but gentle aquiline nose, full lips, and naturally curly hair styled in a loose updo distinct from Victorian fashions. Her skin is a rich ochre, and her striking amber-yellow eyes are shaped to subtly echo the Eye of Horus symbol. You can see on her hand crawling tiny scarabs, they are a part of her.
When creating her costume i imagined her in her WOS persona to be well situated, having access to wealth because of her affiliation with other characters in my story.
COSTUME
This is the garment of a prietstess and idol. The general silhoutte follows the standard trendy shape for the mid 1880s and is egyptian revival themed.
Segmentation; when drawing up initial ideas in my mind, i was reminded of another insect like woman; Coraline's Beldam. i carried it over to Beetle with her outfit divided distinctly into three sections.
Chitin plating and elytra; Scarabs have a chitin exoskeleton you can see the bolero mimics this plated look .
The elytra, these are the armoured bits that cover the insects wings, is seen in the draping of the skirt bustle. This actually worked extra well because this is honestly very reminiscent of ancient egyptian headdresses with falcon wings. Happy accidents.
Colour and materials; Real scarabs shimmer with structural pigments, giving them iridescent greens and golds which I tried to mimic with satin fabric. The skirt bustle is layered over cooler blue tones for depth. Underlayers are wool, the garment is worn in England.
Embelishment;
-The Scarab is literally present, if you look closely you can see a scarab lace shape at the base of the neck. Scarabs roll dung balls and in Egyptian Mythos, this was seen as sun imagery. In Beetle's case the sun is represented by a bold carnelian brooch. The lace even has the falcon's wings and was directly inspired by Tutankhamun's Lapis Scarab amulet.
-The bodice embroidery hints with an abstract rib cage design at the asociations of scarabs with death and rebirth.
- The cord you can see dangeling at the hips i added to suggest an even more exotic look.
- On the hem you can see what is a directly borrowed 19th century egyptian revival wallpaper pattern.
Beetle is a creation from the ancient world now unearthed by the forces of the modern era. In my story, her character explores themes of 19th century archaeological greed, colonial manipulation, the exploitation of local women by foreign men, human sacrifice in the ancient world and the influence of Egyptian Revivalism on cult worship during the period.
Her special abilities include hypnotism and shape-shifting. Beetle’s body is composed of countless tiny scarab like creatures; with the faintest flutter of their wings, she can assume another human form. Once transformed, her assumed identity functions similarly to a false hydra, concealing her true nature and influencing the memory and will power of those around her.
