So, what did Robert Dudley, the Queen’s favorite, really look like?

Luckily, we have many portraits from his lifetime available to reference. Probably the most well known image, which I’ve used for my re-creation, is this life portrait with an unknown artist. It depicts Robert at the age of 32, during the peak years of his affair with Elizabeth. He’s standing, in spectacularly expensive clothing, in front of the symbols of the Order of Saint Michael, and the Order of the Garter.

 Cleopatra is one of the most enchanting figures in all of history, not just for her alleged beauty, but for her famed intelligence and charm. But what did she really look like? We dive deep.

Here are ten historical figures, brought to life with facial reconstructions and stunning AI movement.

What did Julius Caesar really look like? It’s a fascinating question that is still hotly debated. Luckily for us, Roman artistic tradition at this time was unique, focusing on realism rather than idealism, and creating portraits that showed character rather than just physical beauty. In fact, Romans considered it a sign of character to show physical these imperfections in portraits.

Queen Charlotte: A young girl plucked from an obscure German province, and whisked away to become the Queen Consort of Great Britain. She’s recently been popularized through Briderton’s Queen Charlotte spinoff, and today, we’ll talk about what Charlotte really looked like, including the claims that she was a woman of color, and then reveal some recreations of her appearance.

Today, we’re exploring a question that has followed me ever since I started doing facial reconstructions of past figures: What are old portraits hiding? Why do so many faces from the past look alike? Why do these French portraits all have huge eyes and soft chins? Why do Tudor-era portraits have all have pinched lips and high foreheads? And the most important question to me: Do these portraits look like the real person they were meant to depict? These old portraits are most definitely glossing over the truth - so let’s get the bottom of what they are hiding.

Pocahontas is one of those historical enigmas with a huge reputation, but a ton of question marks about her real life and appearance. Of course we all know her from the 1995 Disney Film, but it’s not shocking to hear that what’s shown in the movie is barely a shadow of the real Pocahontas. 

Katherine Parr is often hailed as the wife of King Henry VIII who “survived” - the nursemaid, or the “old one”.

But the reality was different than that. Katherine was a champion for religious reform, a fierce supporter of her stepchildren, and a celebrated author. Her reign as queen and life after Henry is much more interesting than you might think - including a dangerous brush with death. Watch our full video for Katherine’s history, as well as bonus re-creations at the end.

Mary I is a somewhat forgotten figure in Tudor history - her five year reign squeezed between those of her half siblings, Edward VI and Elizabeth I. Her religious zeal has earned her the moniker, “bloody Mary”. But was Mary really the bloody despot that history remembers?

What did Mary I really look like? Are her portraits an accurate representation of the Queen? We’ll examine her portraiture and reveal facial reconstructions down below.