Steampunk Archetypes
Diana Vick
As a costumer, I’ve always been drawn to opportunities to do my own characters
instead of re-creating characters from books or movies. When I started to dress in
the steampunk mode, I found it enticingly open. Rather than the expectation that
you were Captain Nemo or Artemus Gordon, you could be a new character of your
own devising. It delighted and inspired myself and others to find that we didn’t
have to be characters from someone else’s imagination, but could make it up
ourselves.
As I began dressing up for steampunk events, I realized that one of the best ways
to go about creating a look was to start from one of the known steampunk
archetypes. An archetype, or reccurring character, is one that people will recognize
fairly quickly even though it isn’t someone they can name. In the steampunk genre, this character
is usually a main character, a hero or villain with a recognizable style of dress or equipment.
The Adventurer/Explorer:(see above) A character whose raison d’être is to explore the
uncharted expanse, trek to the far ends of the earth and perhaps hunt for a little treasure. Dressed
for the wilds, they should have sturdy footwear, lots of equipment, and perhaps a pith helmet.
Khaki is a good material for them, but leather works as well.
Aristocrat: Often the patron or patroness of adventure, they would dress in a more
sophisticated manner, with rich colors and materials. They would be well
accessorized with gloves, parasols, or a cane, and a wonderful hat. These characters
are harder to make definitively steampunk, but you can add subtle touches in the
jewelry or small personal gadgets. Little anachronistic touches will help as well,
such as corsets worn on the outside, and short skirts for the ladies.
Aviator: A pilot would definitely wear goggles, a flight helmet, and sturdy boots,
and have either a military air, or a roguish one depending on their proclivities. They
would most likely be armed against airship pirates...unless of course they are the
pirates, in which case they would be armed to the teeth.
Dandy or Femme Fatale: This character class uses seduction to get what they
seek: money, jewels, or information perhaps. Formfitting and slightly revealing
clothing in sumptuous fabrics, rakishly worn hats, and bits of lace work well for
their couture.
Hunter/Fighter: This character will be well kitted out with weaponry that
depends on its prey. Monster hunters would be festooned with stakes, silver
bullets, or strange arcane looking weaponry. An air marshal might have less overt
weaponry, but equally dangerous gear. They would wear leather or canvas. The
western look would be quite apt here.
Lolita: The little girl or porcelain doll look is quite adaptable to steampunk. She
would wear lots of lace, knee length skirts, caps, ribbons, and gloves.
Military: There are many historical uniforms in this era to borrow from, but you
also can go completely fantastical. Faux medals, epaulets, piping, gloves,
helmets, and boots all look so regal. Are you an airship commander? A
submersible captain? So many directions to explore. All of these options lend
themselves to some very imaginative gear and weaponry.
Mechanic/Scientist: Goggles are a must here; for safety alone if not for the fun
factor. These characters would be well outfitted with tools of the trade, not to
mention wondrous inventions. It’s no wonder that this is arguably the most popular
of all the archetypes: you can pick it out of a crowd instantly. You can be quite
inventive here with gadgets and gizmos.
I have outlined some of the main archetypes, but these are certainly not all of them. Also, many
of them overlap in some elements, so there is no one right way to portray them. Think of this as a
jumping off point for your journey of creation. There is a whole world of characters to explore in
Victorian science fiction. I hope that you have been inspired to create one of them for yourself.
Diana Vick is the vice chair and co-founder of Steamcon, and has been writing and speaking
about steampunk for a few years now at conventions and elsewhere. When not expounding on
steampunk, she is an illustrator and costumer.