15+ Photos of Famous People That Show The Differences Between Portrait Paintings and Reality

Before the invention of the camera obscura, painters were authorized to describe accurately people. Many portrait paintings have held their value over hundreds of years. Da Vinci’s Mona Lía is worth mentioning. It is deemed highly realistic even by today’s painting standards.
It is true that painted portraits depict more than just a person’s appearance, telling us about the person’s culture and religion. While portrait paintings are regarded as some of the most important pieces of artwork, talented artists in the field were responsible for immortalizing and documenting human progress.
Sometimes, these artists have worked dedicatedly to make people prettier than they really were. Look at these pics, we think of photoshop apps used widely in the modern world.
We’ve gathered 15 photos of famous people of the past and compared them to their portrait paintings. If you’re curious about that, scroll down to see. You can see more there.

#11 Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (1882 — 1957)

#12 Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria’s fifth daughter (1857 — 1944)

Photos of Famous People Source: © Wikimedia Commons, © CC0 1.0, © Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection / East News

15+ Photos of Famous People That Show The Differences Between Portrait Paintings and Reality

#1 Vincent van Gogh (1853 — 1890)

#2 Isabella II of Spain (1830 — 1904)

#3 Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II (1900 — 2002)

#4 Princess Helena of the United Kingdom (1846 — 1923)

#5 Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress (1840 — 1901)

#6 Mary of Teck, the spouse of George V (1867 — 1953)

#7 Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands (1818 — 1877)

#8 Queen Victoria (1819 — 1901)

#9 Maria Christina of Austria, Queen-consort of Spain (1858 — 1929)

#10 Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma, Princess-consort of Bulgaria (1870 — 1899)

#11 Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (1882 — 1957)

#12 Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria’s fifth daughter (1857 — 1944)

#13 Alexandra Feodorovna, the spouse of Nicholas II of Russia (1872 — 1918)

#14 Princess Alice of Battenberg, the mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II (1885 — 1969)

#15 Alexandra of Denmark, the spouse of Edward VII (1844 — 1925)

#16 Charlotte of Belgium (1840 — 1927)