How do we know what historical figures really looked like?
Compare these two pictures of George Washington. Which one is more accurate? Most Americans would probably guess the picture on the left. (Left-image: Gilbert Stuart “Vaughan” portrait of George Washington. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Right-image: Charles Wilson Peale portrait of George Washington. Source: Metropolitan Museum.) But how would you really know? Gilbert Stuart is a more [...]
About
The Daily Monthly is Dave Munger's multi-layered exploration of ideas and issues affecting all of us today.
One post per day, one topic per month
Subscribe (RSS)
