Spotlight: 18th Century History
Welcome to the first spotlight of A Historical Directory!
Each week or so, I hope to have a spotlight on a historical Tumblr!
The first spotlight is of the wonderful 18th Century History. 18th Century History, if you couldn’t guess by the title, is dedicated to the 18th century! Paintings, quotes, general history - there’s even a store with some cute t-shirts and bags!
Thank you to 18th Century History for taking the time to answer some questions!
Why did you want to start up a historical Tumblr?
“It’s been almost a year since I started the tumblr, and it’s hard to remember the initial reason. When I first joined I just had a personal one, and as I was learning and getting used to the tumblr way, I noticed a lot of “fuckyeah___” blogs. I then noticed that no one had fuckyeah18thcentury, so I thought what a fun thing to do. The 18th century has always been my favorite, although until I started this tumblr, I never realized the depth of my passion. I decided to drop the “fuckyeah” when I started to get more serious about the blog and reaching out to people who weren’t on tumblr. Naturally, as soon as I made the announcement of the switch someone went and registered fuckyeah18thcentury for themselves.”
What is the hardest thing about having a historical Tumblr? The most fun?
“The hardest thing would be making sure to check your sources. When I first started I used wiki a lot for easy posts, and although I never ran into any accuracy problems; I got to a point where I didn’t trust just that anymore. Another hard thing is making sure to keep your audience entertained. I love all of my followers and want to make sure they learn and have fun with me. One of the most fun/rewarding parts of having this tumblr is that I get to expand my knowledge as well. It is definitely a motivation to keep posting when you have so many people following you.”
What tips would you have to anyone looking to start their own historical Tumblr?
“Tips - Always check your sources. If you are on tumblr, be sure to look around and make sure no one is doing the exact same thing you want to do. For example, there are a lot of historical fashion tumblrs, and I think it would be hard not to step on anyone’s toes as far as originality goes. I’m thankful that I am one of the ‘older’ historical blogs, and that I am known for being *the* 18th century one. Have fun with it, ask your followers what they are interested in so you can have ideas for postings, and support your library! I love checking out books to get ideas for new postings. My goal is to really expand on the tumblr to make it more like a blog. Although I know we all love tumblr for the short, instant-gratification posts; I would love to also provide more in-depth educational features.”
