One of the major reasons we feel disassociated from history is that it can be hard to relate to people who lived hundreds, let alone thousands, of years ago. Artist Becca Saladin is bridging that gap by creating modern-looking pictures of historical figures that show us what they’d look like today.
“History isn’t just a series of stories, it was real people with real feelings. I think the work brings people a step closer to that,” she said according to Buzzfeed.
Saladin has always loved archaeology and always wished to see what historical events actually looked like. She uses her digital art skills to do exactly that.
She started her Instagram page after wanting to see her favorite historical figure, Anne Boleyn, in real life instead of artist’s depiction.
“I wanted to know if she could come to life from the few pale, flat portraits we have of her,” she wrote for Bored Panda. “I started the account to satisfy my own curiosity about what members of the past would look like if they were standing right in front of me.”
Why this isn’t just AI filters
This is no AI gimmick. Saladin, in addition to being a great artist, is also a student of history. She consults existing portraiture, reads letters, studies the period, and examines both life and death masks (wax or plaster facial molds) of her subjects. She understands period art, as well. In her recreation of Marie Antoinette, Saladin writes, “It’s pretty obvious how stylized 18th century French portraits are; the huge eyes, tiny noses, and pinched lips.” Her image of Antoinette, then, needed some “facial correction.” I’d like to see AI do that.
Her artwork has earned her over 375,000 followers on Instagram. “I always struggled with finding a true hobby, so this has been such a fun creative outlet for me,” she said. “It’s really cool to have found a hobby that combines my passions for both art and history.”
Saladin does a brilliant job at giving historical figures modern clothing, hairstyles and makeup. She also shows them in places you’d find modern celebrities or politicians. Her modern version of Marie Antoinette appears to be posing for paparazzi while her Mona Lisa is photographed on a busy city street.
Here’s a sampling of some of Saladin’s modern representations of historical figures.
King Tut
Genghis Khan
King Henry VII
Louis XV
Agrippina the Younger
Queen Nefertiti
Ben Franklin
Julius Caesar
William Shakespeare
Marie Antoinette
History, made to feel human again
Saladin’s work has connected deeply with hundreds of thousands of online fans and followers. Her images have brought history to life in a way most of us have rarely experienced. There’s something about seeing Abraham Lincoln in a dapper sweater with modern beard and hairstyles that makes him seem much more like a real person than any official portrait ever could.
Saladin began sharing portraits online years and years ago, but continues to this day. There’s always more to discover, new ways to push her medium forward, and more history to unearth.
This article originally appeared six years ago. It has been updated.
