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Plague Doctor Costume: How to Make It in 40 min
- Time 40 min
- Cost mostly free
- Best for Most striking silhouette
The beaked plague doctor is credited to Charles de Lorme, a physician to French royalty who described a protective outfit in the 1600s: a waxed coat, gloves, a hat and a beaked mask stuffed with herbs. At the time, people believed disease spread through bad air, so the beak held aromatic herbs. The silhouette (tall, black, bird-like) is why the costume still stops people mid-sentence.
What you probably already own
- A long dark coat, trench coat or long cardigan
- A wide-brimmed black hat, or a dark hood
- Black gloves
- Black pants and boots
- Thin cardboard (a cereal box or poster board), tape, black paint or a marker
- Goggles or round sunglasses for the eyes
Buy only if you want it
- A ready-made beak mask, if you want a polished one (check the delivery date)
- A cane or a staff
- Black spray paint for the cardboard version
Step by step
- Cut a piece of thin cardboard roughly 12 by 8 inches. Roll it into a cone, about 8 to 10 inches long and 4 inches wide at the base, and tape the seam.
- Paint or color it black, brown or bone, and let it dry. Black reads best at night.
- Attach the base to a headband, a hat brim or a hood with tape or hot glue. Mount it above your mouth and nose, not over them, so you can breathe and talk. Tilt it slightly downward.
- Add the eyes. Wear goggles or round dark glasses, and have them rest just above the beak. A real plague doctor's eyes were covered with glass, so the look is authentic.
- Put on the coat, buttoned to the neck, and add the hat and black gloves. The coat should hang long. A belt at the waist gives a clear outline.
- Carry a cane. Plague doctors traditionally used a wooden stick to examine patients without touching them, and it gives your hands a prop.
Wearing it seated
Mistakes to avoid
- A beak worn over the mouth or nose. It blocks breathing and speech; mount it above them.
- A cone that is too heavy. Use thin cardboard so it does not slide.
- Skipping the gloves. Gloves hide your skin and finish the silhouette.
Make it better
Fill the beak with dried herbs or a small potpourri bag, the way the original suits did. Add leather-look straps across the chest and a satchel for your treats.
Good to know
The beak was meant to filter foul air. It did nothing against the plague, which spread through fleas and bites, but the outfit gave the doctors a uniform and a way to keep patients at a distance.
Safety
- Test face paint and blood on a small patch of skin first.
- Make sure you can see and breathe freely.
- Keep fabric and props clear of wheels, casters and brakes, and away from real flames.