Despite her family's immense wealth and her father's status as pope, surprisingly few depictions of Lucrezia exist. There are some from her time, but none are confirmed - which, given how prominent she was, feels like a strange gap in history.

So what did she really look like?

She was Queen of two countries, mother of two kings, and by all accounts, one of the most captivating women of the Middle Ages. But nearly a thousand years after her death, one question remains stubbornly unanswered: what did Eleanor of Aquitaine actually look like?

The short answer? We don't really know. And the way historians have tried to fill in that blank says almost as much about them as it does about Eleanor. Click the link to learn more.

Sacagawea is one of the most painted, sculpted, and imagined figures of the American West - yet neither Lewis nor Clark ever wrote a single word describing her appearance in their journals. There is no portrait made during her lifetime. What we're left with are guesses, projections, and, too often, wishful fiction.

Marie Antoinette is one of my all time favorite subjects. I love the modern version I created of her using one of her official portraits, but I wanted to create some in-her-own-time images that use more of her real-life appearance rather than the stylized version. It’s pretty obvious how stylized 18th century French portraits are; the huge eyes, tiny noses, and pinched lips. Full video is now up on YouTube: Royalty Now Studios.

For a man who created thousands of sketches, paintings and sculptures - he kept his own appearance mysteriously private. 

In his youth, Leonardo was described as being a beautiful man, with flowing curly hair and everything meticulously groomed. He was broad shouldered and strong throughout his life. We’re not sure of his hair or eye color - but we can imagine the coloring of a stereotypical northern Italian man.

But we may never know for sure what a young Leonardo looked like, because although certain depictions are rumored to be based on his appearance, there is no hard evidence just yet.

Only a few confirmed images of Leonardo that have survived, all sketched when he was in his mid sixties. 

Imagine clawing your way to the top, only for rumors to swirl that you don’t deserve it. That you’re illegitimate. 

In royal circles, it’s not just an insult, spoken in hushed tones - it can be a full-blown constitutional crisis.

From bastard princes to baby-swapping conspiracies, history is full of scandals that shook empires and reorganized the lines of succession.

A famous ancestor of Princess Diana’s, Georgiana Cavendish was one of the most famous and influential women of late-18th-century Britain. Born Georgiana Spencer in 1757, she became Duchess of Devonshire at just 17 after marrying William Cavendish, and quickly rose to celebrity status. Renowned for her beauty, charm, and wit, she was a major figure in fashionable society, a trendsetter in style, and a powerful political hostess who campaigned openly for the Whig Party. Behind the glamour, however, Georgiana’s life was marked by an unhappy marriage, financial struggles, gambling addiction, and deep emotional pain. She died young, at the age of 48, in 1806 - leaving behind a legacy that blends brilliance, influence, and quiet tragedy.

Horace Walpole described Georgiana as “a phenomenon” of fashion, culture, and sophistication - and she genuinely was.

So… what did Moctezuma really look like? The short answer is: unfortunately, we don’t know too much. Aztec portraits weren’t like those from the Maya culture or from Europe. Aztec rulers weren’t painted in a realistic way — figures were shown more symbolically. And after Cortés’s destruction of Tenochtitlan, we’re lucky that anything survives at all.

We’ve done the research. We’ve analyzed the portraits. And we’ve built facial reconstructions of each of Henry VIII’s six Queens based on the best and most recent research out there.

Today, we’re diving into the story of Charlotte Brontë - a woman who lived through heartbreak, isolation, and loss in the harsh world of Industrial Age England, but still managed to turn that pain into timeless art.

Charlotte’s works capture the longing, repression, delight, and grief that defined the women of her day.

But what did Charlotte Bronte really look like?