THE ESSEX SERPENT — AppleTV (2022)
Graphics Assistant
Grounding superstition in historical reality.
The Project
For The Essex Serpent, my work centred on preparing and recreating authentic Victorian-era graphics using genuine historical sources. Accuracy was critical: documents needed to withstand close scrutiny on camera while remaining natural and unobtrusive within the world of the story. Much of this work involved cleaning and rebuilding archival material so it could be reprinted and used practically on set.
IMDb Page
Mockup of the wax seal used in The Essex Serpent
The postcards seen in The Essex Serpent were created using a combination of cleared stock imagery and newly designed layouts. To achieve an authentic Victorian feel, I hand-coloured the images to mimic the appearance of period lithographs, softening contrasts and introducing subtle colour variation typical of early colour printing techniques. These postcards were designed to feel commercially produced yet imperfect, reflecting the visual language of late 19th-century ephemera while remaining legible and camera-ready.
Letters & Wax Seal
Personal correspondence featured prominently and required a high level of finish. Letters and postcards were cleaned and prepared from historical references, while a wax seal was created by reworking and vectorising a real royal crest to produce a functional seal for parliamentary correspondence. These elements were handled closely with the props department to ensure practical use on set.
Mockup of front and back of postcards.
Cora purchasing a booklet about the Serpent of Essex.
