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Before the invention of photography, the appearance of famous and historical figures was documented in statues, paintings, engravings, and written sources. However, such depictions aren’t exactly accurate, as artistic limitations and biases can make the person look different from reality. Thankfully, when photography came about, it changed how well-known people are recorded, and now we can see them truly as they were.

To celebrate this and remind us how fortunate we are to be able to take such a glimpse into history, Bored Panda compiled a list of historical figures who lived long enough to be photographed. Scroll down to find it below, and don’t forget to upvote those pictures that left you star-struck.

#1 Wright Brothers, 1909

Image credits: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

#2 Vincent Van Gogh, 1873

Image credits: Van Gogh Museum

#3 Tesla Sitting In Front Of A Spiral Coil Used In His Wireless Power Experiments At His East Houston St. Laboratory, 1896

Image credits: Electrical Review

1826 was the year when the first photograph was taken, which means that we haven’t had that much time to capture people in photos, which also means that many historical figures went without ever being photographed. Of course, there were other ways their appearance was recorded, but they aren’t very reliable.

For example, the Chandos portrait that is thought to depict William Shakespeare and from which we form our view of the playwright might not be an accurate representation of him at all. To this day, experts can’t definitively say that it’s the playwright who is depicted in the painting. In addition, over the centuries, the portrait has gone through retouching, which has altered the portrait’s true appearance. Experts claim that the subject’s beard and hair have been lengthened, and the varnish has discolored with age.

#4 Charles Darwin, 1869

Image credits: Julia Margaret Cameron

#5 Harriet Tubman, C. 1868

Image credits: Benjamin F. Powelson

#6 Mark Twain, 1908

Image credits: The Art Stack

Many historical figures’ appearances are misrepresented in this way due to artistic conventions, myths, or incorrect interpretations. A few other examples of this include Cleopatra, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Julius Caesar. However, thanks to technological improvements, scientists are trying to debunk the misconceptions about how ancient figures looked.

#7 Ernest Hemingway At His Typewriter, Circa 1939

Image credits: Lloyd Arnold

#8 President Abraham Lincoln, C. 1846

Image credits: Library of Congress

#9 Rasputin And His Admirers, 1914

Image credits: Karl Bulla

They are able to do this by using forensic facial reconstruction, which is a process used to recreate an individual’s appearance from their skeletal remains, primarily the skull, to help visualize historical figures. Techniques used for this include clay reconstruction, when a forensic artist is working with clay to recreate a face, and CT scans, which can create 3D digital facial models on a computer screen.

#10 Portrait Of Karl Marx, 1818–1883

Image credits: International Institute of Social History

#11 Churchill In 1900 Around The Time Of His First Election To Parliament

Image credits: Imperial War Museums

#12 Photographic Portrait Of Sigmund Freud, Circa 1921

Image credits: Max Halberstadt

But before rendering how the person looked, researchers have to gather as much information about the person they’re reconstructing as possible. They need to understand who they were, where and how they lived, what they ate, and what health they were in. Archaeological and DNA analyses can help reveal details like eye and hair color and even their favorite foods or the climate they inhabited.

#13 Pablo Picasso, 1904

Image credits: Ricard Canals

#14 Hannah Stilley Gorby, Possibly The Earliest-Born Person To Be Photographed, Born Around 1746

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

#15 Queen Victoria, 1887

Image credits: National Portrait Gallery

An individual’s age, gender, ethnicity, and weight all give information about their features. Skulls also often possess subtle markings that indicate where muscles were once connected to the bone. “Sometimes it’s very easy to see exactly where the muscle was placed, because it leaves stress marks or ridges on the skull,” said the sculptor and forensic artist Oscar D. Nilsson. All this data helps the reconstructionist decide what features go where, resulting in a realistic face model.

#16 Robert Cornelius, The First Person To Photograph Themself, 1839

Image credits: Library of Congress

#17 Wedding Photo Of Pierre And Marie Curie, 1895

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

#18 Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, 1914

Image credits: George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress

However, such reconstructions also spark debates, as there’s no way to know whether the depictions are accurate since reconstructionists use their knowledge and judgment to shape the faces. Nilsson also mentioned that he adds his own touches to his reconstructions, like wrinkles or sunspots to the face of someone who died old, or includes signs of diseases discovered during the DNA research, which might not always be close to the truth.

#19 Roosevelt After Leaving Office In October 1910

Image credits: American Press Association

#20 Annie Oakley, C. 1903

Image credits: Heritage Auction Gallery

#21 John Herschel, 1867

Image credits: Julia Margaret Cameron/Adam Cuerden

Nowadays, people also make use of AI to visualize how historical figures might have looked. For instance, in 2022, a digital artist gained popularity for using AI technology to recreate the faces of Roman emperors from their busts. There’s even a Hello History AI tool that allows people to chat with anyone from the past and have lifelike conversations with historical figures.

#22 Portrait Of Charles Dickens, Between 1867 And 1868

Image credits: J. Gurney/Heritage Auction Gallery

#23 Harriet Beecher Stowe, C. 1852

Image credits: Bowdoin College Museum of Art

#24 Ulysses S. Grant, C. 1870s

Image credits: Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

However, photography still remains the most accurate way that allows us to see historical figures, which we should never take for granted. For more interesting historical photos, make sure to check out this post on more historical figures or this one on rare historical images.