I’m always slightly freaked out when I read that people have their birth & death days on the same date. Everyone else knows it’s happened to you & you probably don’t because…well…you’ve died.
Shakespeare is a case in point. & evidently so is Elizabeth of York. Queen of Henry VII & born on 11th February 1465, she died on 11th February 1503. These are just three of several versions of the contemporary portrait made of her – the first painting. There is life in this person. You can see how painting has been developed as presumably tastes have changed in the second & you can also see that she’s been tidied up a bit. It’s easy to see that already something has been lost; some of the character, spark or personality of the sitter has been flattened away. The painting technique & detail may appear a little more sophisticated but she’s lost her edge somewhat, like a bad photocopy. By the time you get to William Fry’s version, she’s almost unrecognisable except for the pose & outfit; even then, the image is suffixed “After Harold Crease.”
Given the state of today’s technology, it can take a lot to persuade us that even the simplest & least controversial photograph has not been tinkered with. We might believe that an unreliable image is a new phenomenon. Through history however we find that it is not, whether due to artists that have moved with the preferences of the times or propaganda during times of war & political upheaval.
So, happy birthday, Elizabeth & sorry about the death bit. I hope you had time to get your presents.
Elizabeth of York by an unidentified painter, British School, 16th Century
Elizabeth of York, late 16th Century
Elizabeth of York by William Thomas Fry (1789-1843)
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