What Legendary 19th-Century Women Really Looked Like vs. Their Idealized Paintings

As we scroll through our social media feeds today, we’re bombarded with countless images enhanced by modern photo editing tools. But the desire to perfect one’s appearance isn’t new. In the past, people relied on portrait painters to subtly retouch their likenesses. With that in mind, we decided to explore how legendary women of the 19th century were portrayed, comparing artistic paintings with early photographs to reveal how beauty ideals were preserved across different mediums.

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II

Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, Empress of Austria

Marietta Alboni, Italian opera singer

Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Empress of Germany

Louisa of the Netherlands, the wife of Charles XV of Sweden, Queen of Sweden

Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands (1818 – 1877)

Carolina Coronado, Spanish writer

Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, Empress of Brazil

Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece.

Maria Christina of Austria, Queen-consort of Spain (1858 – 1929)

Maria of Nassau, mother of the first Queen Elisabeth of Romania

Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria

Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll

Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria's fifth daughter (1857 – 1944)

Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the granddaughter of George III

Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans, Infanta of Spain

Isabella II, Queen of Spain

Louise Rasmussen, the Danish ballet dancer and wife of King Frederick VII of Denmark

Maria Van Zandt, American opera singer

Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, the queen consort and wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain

Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the niece of Queen Victoria

Princess Alice of Battenberg, the mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II (1885 – 1969)

Elisabeth of Bavaria (Sissi), Empress of Austria

While we’ve seen how artists once smoothed out every line and softened every feature, some paintings still hold mysteries. In fact, there’s one 19th-century painting that people say shows something way ahead of its time—a device that looks a lot like an iPhone. Curious? You won’t believe what they’ve found.