Meet the People

Last week, they were appendages on the end of bits of wire.  Now they are fully dressed and wigged people ready to go about their business, mixing potions in the Apothecary or shopping at Pennicott's.

Piers Fitzwilkin is the master Apothecary.  He wears a long tunic of rust coloured silk over a white cotton undershirt.  His jacket is green silk trimmed with brown felt.  He was hand made, hand dressed and hand wigged.

Piers is assisted by Skip the bellows boy.  Skip's job is to work the bellows and keep the fires stoked at just the right tempurature for the potions brewing above.  Skip is a prebought porcelain doll still wearing the shorts and shirt he came in.  He wears hand made felt sandals and a ragged doublet (waistcoat) as befitting his lowly status.  Although it doesn't show up in photos his face, arms and clothes are smeared with "soot".

The addition of Piers and Skip probably competes the Apothecary chamber.  I may decide to add one more person, a senior apprentice to help Piers with the tasks still beyond Skip's training.  I haven't quite decided yet because where would he fit?

As you can see, there isn't anywhere he could sit or stand that wouldn't block the view of another feature of the Apothecary.

What do you think?  Another person or perhaps there should be something else added somewhere?

There is at least one piece of equipment vital to an Apothecary that poor Piers is missing.  Can you guess what it is?

Piers has no scales to weigh and measure the quantities of ingredients he uses in his in his concoctions.  I know he really ought to have some, but again, where would they fit?

Over at Pennicott's, the doors have been opened for business and the customers have started arriving.

This lady is wearing a dress that came on a cheap doll modified to have a more 50's look.  She is shopping for a hat for a special occasion, but isn't sure the purple feathers are really her.

The second customer is wearing a handmade dress in red with matching hat.  Despite her facial expression, she really is very pleased with her purchase.

Store owner Audrey is wearing what today would be described as a blue wiggle dress.  I'm not sure how it would have been described in the 50's but like peadal pushers (now capris), the term has undoubtled changed over the years.

Audrey is working the counter downstairs where the lady in red (Audrey didn't catch her name) has just made a purchase.

Upstairs, Audrey's employee Sylvie is helping their other customer choose a hat.

Sylvie is a pre-bough porcelain doll wearing a brown dress with a full skirt.

Pennicott's is also now nearly finished, I just need to finish off the outside.  I've already added a drainpipe running down the wall where the opening section meets the fixed wall.  This helps hide there the two parts don't line up quite perfectly and where I held the front wall upside down when applying bricks and therefore the brick pattern doesn't line up.

The one thing the outside really needs is somthing on the top floor angled wall above the door.  It certainly doesn't look right bare.  I had considered a protuding hanging sign, but I think this will be too easily banged and pranged and far too attractive to cats looking for something to chew on.  So . . . . a flat sign mounted on the wall?  Maybe I should cut another window to match the others?

If I do make another person for the Apothecary, I may add another customer or two to Pennicott's as well.

So, another week and then it's time to start on something new . . . a Lair for my Dragon Wizard and perhaps an entry in this year's DHE competition.