Elizabeth Woodville

Elizabeth Woodville, England’s “White Queen,” was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. She was the mother of former subject Elizabeth of York (you can definitely see some family resemblance in the nose and eyes) as well as the grandmother to King Henry VIII. Surprisingly, no contemporary image of her exists, and this well-known portrait is likely a multi-generational copy of a lost original. There are actually several versions of this portrait with slightly different features. The artistry on this one is a little crude which is why it is hard to imagine her likeness - particularly around the cartoonish nose that I had to adapt. Elizabeth was said to be the “most beautiful woman in the Island of Britain” with "heavy-lidded eyes like those of a dragon." She almost definitely had a plucked or shaved hairline in this portrait to open her face as was the fashion at the time - I’ve also reigned that in a little bit for my modern version.

Elizabeth had such an interesting life as a power player during the War of the Roses, a bitter battle for the throne of England that lasted over 30 years. Called the “White Queen” because she was on the York side (represented by a white rose), as opposed to the Lancasters who were represented by a red rose. I was listening to a podcast the other day about why this time in English history is so fascinating, and I learned that this was one of the first generations of English royals where we actually have knowledge of their personal lives through letters and other sources. 

If you’d like to support my work and help me keep doing what I do, please consider purchasing a print or bookmark from the Etsy store or supporting me on Patreon (link in bio) where you can see posts over a week early and vote on who you’d like to be next! Left portrait: Elizabeth Woodville c. 1471, Queen's College, Cambridge, Public Domain. Right image base: iStock Photo.

History & Process Video: