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Artist Imagines What Famous People From the Past Would Look Like Today and Her Work Is Wonderful

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Are you a bit of a history buff? If so, you’re going to want to start following an Instagram account called Royalty Now.

It’s run by a graphic designer named Becca Saladin and she said her main reason for starting this project was because she thought that the portraits of her favorite historical figures “always look flat, sick, and, of course, dressed in period hair and costume that we don’t relate with today.”

So Saladin has spruced up these people from the past and made them ready to go for the 21st century. Let’s take a look at her work.

1. Botticelli’s Venus.

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Happy Valentines day! It’s only fitting to do Venus from Botticelli’s famous “The Birth of Venus”, painted during the height of the Italian Renaissance. The model for Venus is the gorgeous Simotta Vespucci, one of the artist’s muses. I think she’s one of the most beautiful females ever painted – do you think anyone tops her? Swipe to see a sneak peak of the creation video for this one, which is now live for Patreon supporters! . . As always, if you would like to support you can do so by joining the Patreon (www.patreon.com/royaltynow) or I have a “Tip Jar” here at www.paypalme/royaltynow. Any help is much appreciated. . . Left Image: Public Domain, Right Image base: with permission, @LesFleursduMallory and Gregg Thorne (Greggfoto.com)

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2. Mary, Queen of Scots.

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The Patreon group has selected Mary, Queen of Scots for the next post! For those of you that have been following me for a long time, this is not my first time posting this queen, but I wanted to re-do my original version using a different portrait this time. This portrait was painted when Mary was between 16 and 18 years old, painted around the time of her wedding to Francis, the Dauphin of France. Honestly, she’s hard to pin down because I’ve seen so many portraits of her and they all look very different. I wouldn’t call Mary beautiful exactly, but she was tall, charming and vivacious according to descriptions. Hope you all enjoy. . . Left Image: Public Domain, Right Image base: My beautiful friend & model, Mallory (@lesfleursdumallory) . As always, if you would like to support my work you can do so by joining the Patreon (www.patreon.com/royaltynow) or in my “Tip Jar” at www.paypalme/royaltynow. Any help is much appreciated.

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3. Henry VII.

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Here we are with Henry VII, the first tudor monarch, a frequent request from you all. Henry was the last king of England to attain the throne in battle after defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. . I’m really excited about all of the shows/books/media covering the Wars of the Roses that have been coming out in the last 10 years. What’s your favorite show/book about it? I’d love to dive in even further. . Image credit left: Wikimedia Commons, image credit right: J Stone, Shutterstock . #HenryVII #HenryVIII #ElizabethofYork #AnneBoleyn #ElizabethI #ElizabethWoodville #BritishHistory #KingHenryVII #Photoshop #RoyalFamily #History #Royalty #EuropeanArt #EuropeanHistory #Drawing #GraphicDesign #HistoryMemes #Portrait #ArtRestoration #DigitalArt #ArtOnInstagram #HistoryNerd

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4. Emperor Augustus.

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Emperor Augustus (born Octavius, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar) was the first emperor of Rome, ending 500 years of republic. He’s an incredibly controversial figure, especially due to the smart and ruthless way he came to power, but he ruled over a time of relative peace in the Roman empire. I didn’t actually know much about him, but I recently watched 8 Days that Made Rome on the Smithsonian channel and I can’t get enough! HIGHLY recommend that series. Anyone else know some good sources to learn more about Emperor Augustus? . . . #EmperorAugustus #Octavius #JuliusCaesar #Rome #RomanEmpire #Emperor #RomanEmperor #Nero #Caligula #Caesar #MarkAnthony #Pompey #RomeHistory #Roma #Photoshop #RoyalFamily #History #Royalty #EuropeanArt #EuropeanHistory #Drawing #GraphicDesign #HistoryMemes #Portrait #ArtRestoration #DigitalArt #ArtOnInstagram #HistoryNerd

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5. Anne Boleyn.

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I hope nobody here will get tired of my Anne Boleyn posts…she is my favorite historical figure so you may get quite a few 🙂 Many people asked me last time I posted Anne if I really thought her features (specifically her lips) were really that delicate – and I don’t think they were. Tudor portraiture often de-emphasized these features, so I modified my finished version to reflect what I think is probably her more likely appearance. Since it’s the holiday season, one of my favorite ghost stories is the story of Anne appearing underneath the great oak tree at Hever Castle, her childhood home, every Christmas day. Do you all have a favorite historic ghost story? Hope you all have a great holiday season! 🎄🎄 . Credit for left image: Wikimedia Commons, United States Public Domain, right image base: © Glenn Francis, www.pacificprodigital.com

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6. Louis XV.

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Louis XV is lesser known than his predecessor the Sun King and his heir, Louis XVI, but he was the second-longest reigning monarch in French history. I have always known him by his famous mistresses, Madame De Pompadour (a former Royalty Now subject, swipe ➡️➡️ to see her) and Madame du Barry. I’ll do Madame du Barry soon and complete the set!

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7. Queen Isabella of Castile.

8. Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

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Empress Elisabeth of Austria, originally a request from @nenah.mikuska. We had a great conversation about her and why she’s such a fascinating figure. Ever since she was brought to my attention, I’ve been seeing and hearing about her everywhere! During her life, Elisabeth (known as Sisi), was known for being beautiful, smart, rebellious & passionate. Definitely worth some digging into if you are interested in late 1800s Europe. . . Images based on the portrait of Elisabeth of Austria by George Raab, 1867

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9. Prince Albert.

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Repost of Prince Albert on this lovely Friday: Prince Albert, shown here at age 21 and painted by John Partridge in 1840. Albert was the Prince Consort to Queen Victoria for 22 years, resulting in 9 children and a massive dynasty that would eventually extend to many of the royal houses in Europe.

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10. Ingrid Bergman.

11. The Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov.

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The Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov . . . . #grandduchessanastasia #anastasiaromanov #1918 #bolshevikrevolution #photoshop #history #graphicdesign #historynow #historycometolife #russianhistory #royalfamily #romanovs #russianroyals #russianroyalfamily #anastasia #princessanastasia #royaltynow #royals #colorization

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12. Jane Austen.

13. Agrippina the Younger.

14. Benjamin Franklin.

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Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. I definitely see some resemblance to Tom Hanks. What about you guys?

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I know that I’m probably not alone in this assessment, but her work is excellent!

What do you think? Who would you like to see Saladin re-imagine for today’s world?

Let us know in the comments!