What did People from the Past REALLY look like？ Portraits are the Original Photo Filters

Portraits from history often hide more than they reveal. A striking example is the portrait of Isabella de Medici, nearly removed from the Carnegie Museum Collection because it was suspected to be a modern fake. The reason? The facial style seemed inconsistent with Renaissance art, leading experts to doubt its authenticity. However, investigations using x-ray imagery uncovered that an art restorer in the 1800s had altered the portrait to suit contemporary tastes. The changes included smoothing Isabella’s face, making her nose, lips, and hands more delicate, essentially giving her a historical “airbrushing.” After removing these alterations, the museum restored the painting to its original form, exposing the true likeness of Isabella de Medici.