Back when it originally aired, we sang the praises of Wolf Hall (2015). Specifically, we previewed the costumes and the news and then podcasted about the series (adding our costume resources, as we used to do). Plus we wrote about a very few costume inaccuracies and historical inaccuracies, we discussed Jane Seymour specifically and the gentry women’s costumes overall. But we never did a proper deep-dive blog post looking at all the costumes in this series. Now with part two, The Mirror and the Light, having premiered in the U.K. and airing in the U.S. on PBS in March 2025, well, it is time!
Do you want to read all of this review (with over 7,700 words and about 145 images) of Wolf Hall (2015)? The full post is here!
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As usual not enough jewels! As you can see from the portraits Tudors loved jewelry! Henry in particular should b3 decked with heavy gold chains, rings on every finger and gems encrusted on h8s clothing.
It’s interesting to wonder if, in-universe, the wrinkles on Mistress Boleyn’s bodice could be interpreted as a logical outcome of generally treating her ladies like ****: treat your servants badly and you’ll be ill-served.
All this time later I stand by my opinion of the series – it’s a grand piece of work for which my appreciation is only slightly handicapped by my distaste for Thomas Cromwell and his achievements in making Henry VIII a more absolute tyrant.
Also, the symbolism in casting as the future Queen Mary Tudor the daughter of the actor playing Sir Thomas More is as amusing as it is oddly-appropriate (Especially after watching the second season of this series).