Video content can be immensely useful for an historian, and highly enjoyable for history lovers. However, I will say, I was a very late adapter to TikTok. And if Instagram hadn’t continued to mute and/or distort my Reels, I probably wouldn’t have looked to leave. I am happy that I did though, as I’ve discovered many more historians that I probably would not have otherwise. And happily, female historians tend to be able to reach a wider audience than through standard podcasts*, history sites, and other publications. Continuing on for Women’s History Month, today I’m sharing 7 female historians to follow on TikTok!
*There are many fantastic history podcasts hosted and run by women; a lot of podcasts that gain wider traction and are picked up/advertised by networks are still hosted by men.
7 Female Historians to Follow on TikTok
I will say, while TikTok can be a fantastic resource for history, please do not follow those slideshow accounts that have 20 “facts” overlaid over 20 pictures, as there are usually many errors. (How they get thousands of followers, I will not know.) Any historian should be willing to share their sources or where they got their information from! Below I’ve shared 7 female historians on TikTok, and included one of my favourite videos from their account.
If you are interested in more video history from me, you can find me @AnHistorianAboutTown on TikTok! I do post there regularly and on a variety of topics (usually different from what I’m discussing on the blog.)
@historiancaro The eyelashes bother me a lot…Napoleon fans, are you jealous? I’m a little weirded out, to be sure, but I couldn’t resist touching Napoleon’s death mask! All footage and images my own Suggested reading: The Lost Art of the Death Mask, Zaria Gorvett (accessible online) #history #napoleon #napoleonbonaparte #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen
Caro: @HistorianCaro
Caro is one of my favourite social media accounts ever, and I’m so happy to say that she is now officially a doctor as she passed her PhD defense! She covers many areas of history on her account, but you can expect to find a lot of women’s history from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in France (think before and after the French Revolution). Caro is super engaging, very friendly, and keeps everything fresh with a variety of topics! (Her lives are also fantastic.)
@artlust Replying to @juliusscaesarsalad #greenscreen history of beds #historyontiktok #arthistorytiktok #arthistory101 also check out our podcast! New episode up.
Seema R: @ArtLust
Seema is an art historian, and her account covers a lot of art history as well as cultural history. She is easily able to bring in many different perspectives and shed light onto things that seem “obvious” to us at first. I also love that she tackles the history and culture behind many trending videos and topics! While she does have to deal with some fairly awful people in her comments, her responses are always a chance for us to learn more. (Earlier in 2024, she had to deal with a racist business owner continually commenting, and I am still impressed with how she handled it.)
@seekthehistoric Part 2 of Brigid’s Day – the folklore of Brigid and cloth! Celebrated all week in Ireland, cloth, cloaks and ribbons are all part of her lore! For more on the folkloric side of things check out: @Amy 🇵🇸✨️🏳️🌈✨️🇮🇪 @IrishPaganSchool #irishfolklore #craftsmanship #textiles #ireland #brigid1500
Laura the Historian: @SeekTheHistoric
Laura is one of the hosts of the History Business podcast that I was a guest on last year (a must-listen podcast for any historian!) and is a creative and talented historian. She covers a variety of topics, but fashion history is covered regularly (to my delight). Her TikToks include museum exhibition reviews and behind the scenes content, the history behind current fashion collections and events, and figures from fashion history that you might not know about. She is incredibly well-travelled and gives us a sneak peek into exhibitions that we might not otherwise see!
@iamkozzie Why did Korean kings wear the same royal robes in 4 different colours? LEARN KOREAN FOR 100 DAYS 🇰🇷 day 41 I knew that Joseon Kings wore different robes based on status or the occassion but I never knew why those colours were selected, most likey by King Taejo (태조 이성계) or his advisors. I was absolutely stunned by the crazy back story behind the black or navy mavy blue royal robes, traditionally worn by the crown princes. You will be shocked by how this robe came about. #korean #learnkorean #한구 #한국어 #역사 #history #koreanhistory #king #crownprince #joseon #조선 #royal #studykorean #한국어공부 #koreanculture #한복 #hanbok #koreanlanguage
IAmKozzie: @IAmKozzie
IAmKozzie’s account is not purely history but many of her TikToks cover different aspects of life at the Joseon court, and I find it so interesting! (Joseon is part of what we now consider South Korea.) Not only does she share the history from a royal court that does not get its fair share of attention, I love that she discusses things like dress and appearance for those at court. As someone who loves historic K-Dramas (aka sageuks), and being able to know what I’m seeing makes the shows all the more enjoyable.
@pardon_mi diplomatic gifts of animals in the Middle Ages are so interesting! #medieval #charlemagne #abbasidcaliphate #elephant #lion
MJ Pardon: @Pardon_Mi
MJ is a mediaeval historian who is also a professor, and her chatty nature paired with some of the weirdest topics in mediaeval history make for a great account. Do you want to know about the history of gossip or animals being put on trial or mediaeval art motifs? Look no further! She also shares a lot of TikToks on the life of an academic and chats about attending conferences, publishing work, teaching, etc. She does a great job at sharing the “behind the scenes” of an historian!
@theroyalwardrobe How did courtiers at the time of Queen Charlotte dress? Take a look at that stunning court dress from the 1760s! 👗 Sources used: ‘The Royal Wardrobe’ by Rosie Harte (2023) pp. 147, 150 ‘Splendour at Court’ by Nigel Arch and Joanna Marschner (1987) p. 121-122 #queencharlotte #queencharlottenetflix #bridgerton #fashionhistory #britishroyalfamily #regencyfashion #georgianfashion #18thcentury
Rosie Harte: @TheRoyalWardrobe
If you have been around An Historian About Town in the last year, you might remember that I shared a review of Rosie’s book back in the fall. (You can find my review of The Royal Wardrobe here!) Like her book, Rosie shares a lot of royal fashion history on her account, but also covers royal history not related to fashion and fashion history not related to royals. She is a great speaker (I feel like she would do well as a news anchor) and always manages to hook you right away!
@alexandriaartifact don’t come for me, I am a historian not a singer #seashanty #maritime #piratesofthecaribbean #historytok #historian
AlexandriaArtifact: @AlexandriaArtifact
Alexandria is a public historian who mostly focuses on the history of women in STEM! As someone who is not at all STEM-minded (I want it to make sense!!), I love learning about the incredible things that women have been able to do in these fields, oftentimes in spite of men. And she is also a co-founded of The Humanities Guild, an organisation that works to promote inclusion and advocacy in the humanities, and to help creators share their work in creative ways to better share history, literature, linguistics, and more.
I hope that you have found some fantastic new history TikTok accounts to follow!
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
