How historical figures would have looked today

 Famous faces from history including William Shakespeare, Henry VIII and Horatio Nelson have been given a modern makeover to see how they would look if they were alive today.
The project, comissioned by history TV channel Yesterday to celebrate its new series, the Secret Life Of..., saw digital artists working closely with history experts to ensure the portraits gave a real sense of how historical characters would look if they were alive in the 21st Century.

ABOVE: ADMIRAL LORD NELSON
A Vice Admiral and dedicated navy officer, Nelson is dressed in a modern naval uniform.
In today's Navy, Nelson would spend more time deskbound and as such he would have gained a little weight which is reflected in the portrait.
To replace the right arm lost after being wounded in battle, he has been given a prosthetic to wear.
The Victoria Cross wasn't available during his time but had they been in existence, he would have qualified.

 

The artworks, which took three months to create, were created under the watchful eye of award-winning academic, author and historian Dr Suzannah Lipscomb to ensure the new artworks accurately reflect how the historical figures might look in 2013.

ABOVE: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Daring and forward thinking hipster Shakespeare has been fashioned as a 'modern day playwright' with his edgy Shoreditch shirt and waistcoat look.
He has been given piercings on both ears, leaving questions about his sexuality unanswered.
An actor as well as a playwright, Shakespeare might have taken advantage of modern-day hair transplanting techniques to sport a full head of hair like numerous celebrity actors.
  

Dr Lipscomb leaned heavily on the insight gained from the Secret Life Of... series, which delves deep into the lives of historical figures and dishes the dirt on their hitherto unexplored secret lives.
Each modern day recreation provides an incredible insight into what some of the most revered figures in history would look like, had they lived in today's society complete with cosmetic surgery, pearly white teeth, and the latest fashion wear.

ABOVE: HENRY VIII
Renowned for being vain and lavish, King Henry has been given white veneers and hair plugs to hide his balding head.
Known to flaunt his wealth, is now out of his voluminous puffed sleeve velvet gown and in a tailored designer black suit, wearing a sparkling diamond ring and designer watch.
Instead of the cotton shirt fastened up to the chin he now sports an unbuttoned shirt Simon Cowell style and is very much the modern day lady killer.
An avid sportsman and known for being conceited he has been slimmed down. Henry's vanity would have ensured he would have retained the naturally muscly, rugby-player type figure he had in his youth.
Known for having spent a lot of time outdoors riding, hunting, and playing tennis, Henry VIII has also been given a tan.
Henry has exchanged his uncomfortable flat footed shoes for modern shoes with a heel.

 

AVOVE: MARIE ANTOINETTE
Her three-foot tall hair has been let down and her unusually high forehead concealed with a trendy fringe.
Known for her crooked teeth in her youth she has been given a full modern-day orthodontic treatment.
Teased for her small breasts as a teenager, she has been given breast implants.
Known for being fashionable and changing clothes three times a day, Marie Antoinette is dressed in a modern designer dress. Reported to express how she was feeling through the accessories in her wig, she is wearing a flirty Philip Treacey style hat.
Her modern day portrait also shows the her fully-made up in colourful make-up.

ABOVE: Elizabeth I
A powerful no-nonsense female leader, Elizabeth might have straightened her hair in a powerful yet stylish short cropped style.
Known for her love of fashion, she would be more likely to wear a bespoke stylish and unique female suit made with rich colours and material.
Rarely pictured smiling, Queen Elizabeth exudes power in the modern day portrait, and hides her new veneers purchased to disguise her notoriously bad teeth.