Katherine Crighton

Photograph of Katherine Crighton, 2024, in their workshop studio

Katherine in their studio workshop. Credit: Matthew J. Burgos, Inkblots and Snapshots

Katherine Crighton (they/them) is a writer, researcher, and folklorist whose current work centers around experimental archaeology based on the Early Modern English publications and family journals of the 1480s to 1710s—specifically, the research, recreation, and safe updating of household goods and cosmetics from the Western Scientific Revolution. Through The Minor Hours and Small Thoughts Magazine, their semi-regular blog written in the style of an 18th-century lady’s publication, they mix essays on modern life, personal narratives, humor, and documentation of their apothecarial work and research. Excess successful (and not!) experiments are made available for purchase through The Historically Inaccurate Shop, where they also have folkloric/cryptozoological art, publications, and reimaginings for the modern age. In 2022 they were accepted into the Interactive Media and Game Design MFA program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which supports their 2024 membership to the Renaissance Society of America (RSA).

Learn more about Katherine at:

KatherineCrighton.com

Or read a sample of their workshop adventures at:

Experimental Archaeology

 

Photograph of Katherine Crighton at work in their workshop studio

Checking working journal for recipe details for a lip pomatum. Credit: Matthew J. Burgos, Inkblots and Snapshots

Close up photograph of beeswax melting in a silicone pot

An ounce of beeswax in a silicone pot melting gently in a bain-marie. Credit: Matthew J. Burgos, Inkblots and Snapshots

Closeup of Pomatum Recipe

Close-up of working journal pages for the lip pomatum, dated May 2023.

Photograph of Katherine Crighton presenting MFA proposal, Spring 2025

Katherine presenting their proposal. Credit: Dr. Karen Stewart

Photograph of ingredients in glass jars with handwritten labels

Hand-labeled jars of ingredients from early playtests, glued on with a gum arabic solution.