Does the truth Matter?

Does the truth matter in historical dramas?

How far do historical dramas romanticise the past, and how much of a problem is this?

Historical dramas such as Bridgerton and Harlots are only growing in popularity. Bridgerton is based on Julia Quinn's novels set in the competitive world of Regency-era London's ton during the season when debutantes are presented at court. It focuses on the story of Daphne and her quest for marriage, while also introducing us to her family, upon which the future series will be based. The show achieved a viewership of 82 million households and became the most-watched series on Netflix. The series reached No. 1 in 76 countries also on Netflix. But what made it so popular? Does it matter that it’s based on fictional novels? What consequences does this have for history….

Bridgerton series one poster - image credit: Netflix

Harlots, while also based in the Georgian era, tells quite a different story. The series focuses on Margaret Wells, who runs a brothel (or bawdy house), in 18th-century London and her struggles to secure a better future for her daughters in a difficult environment. This series is based on the book ‘The Covent Garden Ladies’ by historian Hallie Rubenhold, perhaps making it a little more credible than Bridgerton to some. The series initially aired on ITV ‘Encore’ before moving to Hulu when ITV Encore shut down. After the third season, the show was cancelled. (Much to my disappointment!) It is also important to consider why Harlots wasn’t popular while Bridgerton was. Was it due to the television provider or more the subject matter? Shows such as these have a big impact on the way the past is viewed and while it generates interest, there is a danger of false truth being created, leading to romanticism of the past.

Harlots season one poster- image credit: Amazon

Romanticism: an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century. It was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as the glorification of the past and nature.
romanticism with a small R means "the quality or state of being impractical or unrealistic" thereby suggesting that by romanticising the past a true picture of what it was like is not possible.

How far romanticism and misrepresentation of the past is a problem is a serious topic of debate amongst the public and historians. Given the popularity of historical dramas, it seems prudent that they should be historically accurate as they act as a launchpad for history. Bridgerton, while based on fiction, provides a certain level of insight into the traditions of the time particularly with regards to the marriage market and the need to secure a future as a woman. The portrayal of women in Bridgerton was something I particularly liked. While Daphne is presented as an ‘everyman’ character, showing how important it was to secure a marriage match, the other female characters all have different stories. For example, Genevieve Delacroix is the Modiste, and therefore a female business owner. Sienna Rosso represents a kept mistress / struggling opera singer and, Eloise Bridgerton represents a woman who wants more, both from life and her education. The show does a really good job of tapping into the controls women could exert over their situation. (Listen to my podcast: www.JustGeorgians.com/podcast for deeper discussion of this). This certainly was realistic with women becoming involved in business during this period. It was true that women did not have the same trading rights as men, nor were they equal in law. Indeed, Eloise does an excellent job at sharing these inequalities with viewers through laments about her limited options. But, there were spaces within which women could work, particularly with regards to fashion, education, food and drink. As such, figures such as Genevieve Delacroix would have really existed. (See further reading at the end for more on women in business!)

Genevieve Delacroix - image credit: Netflix

Indeed, show Harlots also does a good job of portraying this other side of the life of women during the Georgian era. Particularly those of the lower classes, we see characters struggle to survive and turn to prostitution as a means of survival. This was very accurate of the time. Indeed, through the character Lydia Quigley we see just how horrible bawds could be, and how terrible being a real harlot was. We are also introduced to Harris’s List of Covent Garden ladies, the source Hallie Rubenhold used to research for her book. In one scene, the girls living in Margaret Wells’ bawdy house are gathered around a version of it, reading their own descriptions. This is a subtle, yet clever hint to the history of the women portrayed. For more on the realities of being a harlot see my TikTok gallery.

Lydia Quigley holding Harris’s list of Covent Garden Ladies - image credit: Liam Daniel, Hulu

American author Peggy Noonan says that

“when people get history from entertainment, Hollywood’s obligation to tell the truth is heightened.”

It is understandable why the need for accuracy is so important, however, I feel that this is extreme as the shows are historical DRAMAS meaning that fabrication is inescapable in order to make the show interesting. When things such as costume, or phrases used seem inaccurate the public often takes to sites such as Twitter to air grievances when the version of history presented is not their version. Writer of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellows said that the show is pretty accurate and that

“the real problem is with people who are insecure socially, and they think to show how smart they are by picking holes in the programme to promote their own poshness and to show that their knowledge is greater than your knowledge.”

A strong statement! While talking about a different show, it is easy to see parallels. Even on TikTok, when Bridgerton first became popular individuals were playing the theme music and dressing in corsets saying they felt just like they were in Bridgerton! In reality corsets are much more of the Victorian era, the Georgian style more shapeless. Indeed, the music used in the show is mostly made up of covers of current pop music played on string instruments! When a show becomes a tool for learning it seems that accuracy should be conveyed where possible.

Regency style clothing, for more on fashion in the Georgian period visit: https://fashion-era.com/fashion-history/regency/regency-fashion (image sourced from site)

However, if the public wanted historical accuracy would they not just watch a documentary? Romanticism of the past is what the audience tune in for, they want to be entertained. This is why there is such a market for Pride and Prejudice type shows and the splendour of the upper classes. This is perhaps another reason Bridgerton did so well compared to Harlots, as Harlots deals with a much darker history. If these shows were entirely factual, the girls shown in Harlots would be treated badly all of the time, living in poor conditions with little reprieve as the reality of being a harlot was that life was very difficult ( and while the show portrays this it also has to convey storylines and offer some reprieve). Even if the individual was lucky enough to be a kept mistress they could be dropped at any moment, beaten, abused or meet an early death, as is demonstrated through the death of Margaret’s daughter Charlotte. People do not want to see this on their television on a Sunday evening: they long for the splendour of the past.

I believe that historical dramas provide a basis for the study of history for the public. People are hungry for the facts; history is not limited simply to historical dramas with over 200 million people viewing the Wikipedia pages of shows such as The Crown to learn the truth. This was also apparent with the release of Bridgerton with a surge of interest in the Georgian era and all that goes along with it. Indeed, I feel my project has been successful as a result of the public’s love of historical drama. This suggests then, that romanticism is ok as the past is explored beyond what is depicted in historical dramas. Indeed, the purpose of the shows as a drama is to entertain and this is what Rebecca Rideal argued. She said that if shows such as Wolf Hall were realistic we would be unable to understand them given that old English is entirely different to our own language. Rideal saw the problem as being the lack of access to historians, not the historical dramas themselves. I agree strongly with this, if historians can communicate the truth to the public, this demand for authenticity would be less. Entertaining is a key part of being a historian according to Roman Historian Livy, alongside teaching. Historian Lucy Worseley sees herself

“as the thin end of the wedge, to sneak in just a little bit of history and then, hopefully, more will follow.”

I could not have put it better myself! I believe this is how historical dramas should be viewed in that they open the public’s eyes to the past.

It is my role, as a public historian, to navigate the land between the two, and this is what I have attempted to do with my project. I feel that shows such as Harlots and Bridgerton do romanticise the past, but that this is not as great a problem as one may have initially thought. Historian John Tosh said that “a gulf exists” between the academy and popular history. I feel that historical dramas are bridging the gap in that they give a certain version of history, allowing for historian’s voices to be heard more than ever before. Indeed, the basic aims of a historian are to entertain and teach, and I feel that historical dramas do this very well, acting as a launchpad for further interest and research from the public. On the other hand, there is a certain level of responsibility that creators of these shows have, in that they should try to be accurate where possible, so as not to create a false past. On balance, however, I feel that historical dramas are a good thing for public history, even if romanticised. They bring periods of history and ways of life to light by which audiences learn something and can seek out further research if desired.

Until next time,

Chlo

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