“Research” doesn’t always have to be a deep dive, involving interlibrary loans and late nights. It’s like working out… sometimes you break out the kettlebells or the cardio playlist, and sometimes you just take a stroll around the block. In both cases, anything is better than nothing!

A few days ago, someone posted a pic in the Romans of the SCA Facebook group. It was a statue wearing platform shoes and a very wide belt.

“What time period is that?” I asked. She didn’t know – it came out of a book. The only info for it was “Musicians in the Louvre.”

Challenge accepted! I put on my deerstalker hat and went to work.

The Louvre has an online collection, but you have to use French for your search terms. I happen to know a little French, fortunately. If you don’t, remember Google translate!

“femme” (woman)” in the right department (selection on the left column) gave me this….

So I narrowed it down to “femme musique,” which helped considerably!

After sifting through the pages, I found this wonderful sarcophagus, from Rome, 150-160 CE. It’s a line of musicians, and the unusual clothes are probably due to them being performers.

My treasure hunt was successful! There she is, third from the left! Either the image was reversed in the book, or there’s a mirror image on the other side that isn’t included in the online collection photos. I posted the answer in the thread, and it inspired me to finally publish an update on my clothing paper.

There you have it – from question to result in 20 minutes. A walk in the park. 🙂