We used to form an idea about the appearance of people who lived many years ago by looking at their portraits. Graphic designer Becca Saladin (www.instagram.com/royalty_now_/) decided to combine her profession with her hobby and show what famous personalities of the past would look like if they lived in our time. To do this, she mixes history with modern style. According to her, she spends more than 5 hours on one photo because it is very difficult to make the portrait truly alive and realistic.
Nefertiti
The main wife of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom was Akhenaton. The reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti is known as the Amarna period. It was marked by a religious reform: one god, Aten, was declared the main god of Egypt.
Elizaveta I
Elizabeth I, Good Queen Bess, Queen-Virgin—Queen of England and Ireland since November 17, 1558—was the last of the Tudor dynasty. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII Tudor of England by his marriage to Anne Boleyn. England’s victory over the “Invincible Armada,” the increase in the power of the Anglican Church, and the flourishing of culture and science are associated with her name.
Cyrus II the Great
Cyrus II the Great was a Persian king from the Achaemenid dynasty, which ruled from 559 to 530 BC. He was the son of Cambyses I and possibly the princess Mandana. Cyrus II founded the Persian state of the Achaemenids. During his 30-year reign, he was able to conquer a large number of territories and expand his kingdom. He is still remembered today because he became famous for his respectful attitude toward the traditions and religion of the people who lived in the conquered territories. None of the conquerors did that at that time.
Ludwig van Beethoven
The famous German composer, pianist, conductor, and last representative of the “Viennese classical school”—this is all about Ludwig van Beethoven. He is a key figure in classical music in the period between classicism and romanticism and one of the most famous and most performed composers. Beethoven left more than 240 pieces of music to us as a legacy, although he completely lost his hearing at the age of 48.
Aristotle
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and student of Plato. From 343 BC: tutor of Alexander the Great. Aristotle’s works cover all the scientific (philosophical) knowledge of that time. In them, he summed up the two-hundred-year development of philosophy in ancient Greece and gave his solutions to all open questions of philosophy that touched on the knowledge of nature, society, and thinking.
George Washington
George Washington is known not only as the first popularly elected president of the USA but also as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, a participant in the War of Independence, and the founder of the American Presidential Institute. Washington became the only US president to win 100% of the popular vote. After the completion of two terms of the presidential mandate, he was offered to run for a third, but he refused in order not to violate the Constitution.
Cleopatra
The famous beauty of the ancient world, whose beauty is still admired, belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty. Cleopatra became the last queen of this dynasty, the history of which lasted about 275 years.
According to Plutarch’s records, the mistress was not an outstanding beauty, as shown in many films. According to him, she was charmed with her speeches, manners, and melodious voice.
Akhenaten
Pharaoh Akhenaten is considered an iconic figure in ancient Egypt. He was a real revolutionary in management. He was able to carry out a religious reform and replace the entire pantheon of gods with only one god, Aten. During his reign, he did not start a single war but was engaged in the development of culture and art. Nefertiti, a woman whose beauty is still talked about, was his wife.
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette is the queen of France, and Navarre is the youngest daughter of Emperor Franz I and Maria Theresa. She became the wife of King Louis XVI of France in 1770. Marie Antoinette was called the Queen of Rococo and Madame Deficit. During the French Revolution, she was considered the instigator of counter-revolutionary conspiracies and interventions. For this, she was later executed by the guillotine.
Elizaveta Batory
Transylvania was famous for its mysterious rulers. The figure of Vlad Tsepish, Count Dracula, confuses the minds of our contemporaries. And Elizaveta Batory, who lived 50 years later, is not inferior to him.
History has not yet determined who she is—a follower of black magic and the occult or a victim of religious conspirators. According to various sources, Elizaveta Batory was accused of executing 30 to 650 girls to obtain eternal youth.
Henry VIII
King Henry VIII was the second king of England in the Tudor dynasty. He is known for the number of his marriages, because of which he rebelled against the Catholic Church and severed relations with the papacy. Henry VIII founded his church, the Anglican.
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Gray is known in England as the “Nine Week Queen.”. She is often forgotten when talking about the monarchs of England. However, the fact that she was the first queen on the throne is worth noting.
Catherine de Medici
The Queen of France, Catherine de Medici, ruled the country during bloody battles between Catholics and Huguenots. Catherine’s main goal was to preserve the throne of the ruling dynasty of Valois, although she managed it with difficulty.
The queen became famous thanks to her help in the development of culture. The Tuileries Castle, the Soissons Hotel, one of the wings of the Louvre, and other masterpieces were built by her order. The ballet was also a novelty introduced by Catherine de Medici.
Suleiman, the Magnificent
Suleiman I is considered the greatest sultan of the Ottoman Empire. During his reign, the territory of the empire expanded significantly, and the rulers of Europe began to reckon with the interests of the Ottomans.
Sultan Suleiman I was feared and highly respected. He became famous as a great conqueror, a wise author of laws, the founder of many schools, and the initiator of the construction of architectural masterpieces.
Hürrem Sultan (Roksolana)
This woman was admired and hated at the same time. Hürrem Sultan was lucky enough to become the legal wife of Sultan Suleiman I the Magnificent and the mother of the heir to the throne, Sultan Selim II. The origin of Hürrem Sultan is unknown.
In Polish literature, she is known as Oleksandr, and in Ukrainian, Anastasia. The name Roksolana was invented by the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire in Istanbul, Augier Ghislain de Bousbec. De Busbek was based on the origin of the sultan in the lands inhabited by Ukrainians, which were then called Roksolania.