I am one of the few mask makers left in the world that still hand crafts traditional Plague Doctor masks.  The Plague Doctor is my most popular mask. It's an extremely hard mask to keep in stock due to it's popularity.  I have been working extremely hard to get some made for Halloween 2012. I sold out early last year. I only have so many lens frames, so there will be a limited amount of Deluxe masks. I am adding leather strapping to the regular Plague Doctor (photos to come late August) instead of the 1/4" elastic shown in the photos.

The Plague Doctor is one of my all time favorite masks, and the inspiration for many of my long nosed masks. There's something creepy looking about it, and once you know the historical significance behind it, it's even creepier.

During the period of the Black Death and the Great Plague of London, plague doctors visited victims of the plague to verify whether they have been afflicted or not. They were mostly unqualified. Most qualified doctors had left the city to avoid being afflicted. Their outfit consisted of a hat to show that the man was a doctor, mask to protect the face, crystal "eyes" to "protect" the eyes, the beak stuffed with spices or herbs to "purify" the air that the doctor breathed, wooden stick to push away victims who would get too close to him, leather gloves to protect the hands, gown waxed from the exterior, and full length boots. It was believed at the time that the plague was spread through the air, not through the fleas living on the black rat. Therefore, they stuffed herbs and spices in their "beaks" or carried them somewhere. The waxed clothing may have helped prevent fleas latching on, and the clothing also prevented droplet infection.
It has been questioned how much this costume was actually worn; the greater part of doctors fled the cities in the early stages of the plague.

 

I have several variations of this mask.  Browse around, and keep checking back for more designs....thanks for looking.