What 16 Famous People Who We Know Only by Their Portraits and Movies Looked Like in Real Life

We are accustomed to seeing historical figures in ceremonial portraits — austere, majestic, carefully “polished” by the artist’s brush. And if we see them in movies, we remember them as actors who portrayed them. But what were they really like?

For this article, we have dug through the maze of historical research and analyses to give you the opportunity to look at famous people of the past not through the prism of official images, but more vividly and truthfully.

Roxelana

Diane de Poitiers

And this is what the French king’s favorite looked like in reality.

Madame du Barry

And this is what young Madame du Barry really looked like.

Catherine the Great

Here is what, according to historians’ descriptions, the future empress looked like.

Catherine de’ Medici

Based on historical analyses, one of the most influential Florentines looked like this.

Marie Antoinette

And here’s what Louis XVI’s wife looked like, according to historians.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

According to contemporaries, the composer was distinguished not only by his uncommon talent, but also by his appearance.

Lucrezia Borgia

And this is what a Borgia daughter really looked like.

Joséphine Bonaparte

Napoleon’s wife, according to historical descriptions, looked like this.

Isaac Newton

Historians believe that the famous scientist looked like this in reality.

Sandro Botticelli

According to the opinions of historians available to us, one of the most prominent Florentine artists looked like this.

Nefertiti

Here’s what the famous queen of Egypt looked like, according to historians.

Francisco Goya

This is what the outstanding artist looked like, according to the descriptions of his contemporaries.

Artemisia Gentileschi

The Italian artist with an extraordinary life, according to historians’ descriptions, looked like this.

Vlad the Impaler

And here’s what the infamous Romanian ruler actually looked like.

Oda Nobunaga

And this is what one of the most prominent samurai in Japanese history actually looked like.

And these historical figures were portrayed by different actors, and we can’t decide who did a better job.