COMPETITION: CREATE A SELF-PORTRAIT FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A £100 GOODY BAG!
Learn about portraits and what they can tell us about the people in them, and discover some of the different historical looks that you can see in portraits from across the centuries. Suitably inspired, we'd then like you to create your own historical self-portrait. We're sure it will be timeless!
Here's Looking at You
Before photography was invented, the only way to record how someone looked was through a painting, drawing or sculpture of them. Portraits give us a good idea of how fashions have changed through history and the different hairstyles and clothing that people wore. Portraits were often made of powerful people and were used to show how important they were. There are lots of portraits from history that an be seen at English Heritage properties. A good example is the portrait of Pope Innocent X by Velázquez, which was painted in 1650 and can be seen at Apsley House in London — it seems as if the pope is looking right at you.
If you create a portrait of yourself, it's called a self-portrait. These can often tell us a lot about the person who made it. Self-portraits by Rembrandt, who lived from 1606 to 1669, are particularly famous and his Self-Portrait With Two Circles (pictured) can be seen at Kenwood in London. In it, you get to see Rembrandt in his working clothes, with a fur-lined tabard, traditionally worn by painters since the 16th century.
We'd like you to create a self-portrait, inspired by a fashion from history. Read on for some inspiration on one of the distinctive historical looks that you could give yourself!
Roman Around
The civilisation of ancient Rome lasted for more than a thousand years, until the late 5th century. Its most well-known item of clothing is the toga, a ceremonial item worn at special events. It was a large piece of material wrapped around the body and, as it was made of wool, was very heavy. Roman citizens would wear one of six different types of toga, depending on their place in society.
Getting Wiggy With It
In the 17th century it was fashionable for both women and men to have long hair — but they often got head lice or went bald. So, men at the French and English courts of kings and queens shaved their heads and wore long wigs made of human or horse hair.
In the late 1600s the huge wigs reached their shoulders. It didn't matter that it looked like a wig as everyone else was wearing one!
Facial Fur
Another unusual facial fashion accessory are sideburns. These go back a long way in history. There's even a mosaic from Pompeii (an excavated Roman town in Italy) that shows Alexander the Great, who lived from 356-323 BC, with a pair.
But they were particularly popular in England during the Victorian period, when they were called side whiskers and were sported by notable men such as Prince Albert and Charles Darwin (pictured). If you had a lot of facial hair you were known as a whiskerando!
Send Us Your Own Historical Self-Portrait
As you can see, there have been lots of weird and wonderful fashions throughout history. Now we'd like you to create a self-portrait inspired by a look from the past.
You could give yourself a Georgian wig, try out an Elizabethan ruff or even add some Victorian-style sideburns! You can send us a drawing, a painting or, if you're feeling really adventurous, you could even dress up and send us a photo! If you'd like to download a picture frame template to print out and use for your self-portrait, click the button below.
DOWNLOAD YOUR FRAME TEMPLATEHow to Enter
Once you've created your self-portrait, you can enter it into our competition to be in with a chance of winning a goody bag of prizes worth £100 from our online shop. Ask an adult to scan or take a clear photograph of your self-portrait and send it to us at membersmagazine@ourmedia.co.uk, along with your full name and age, and your parent or guardian's membership number, name and address.
Please make sure you have your parent or guardian's permission to enter, and check the terms and conditions below. Entries must be in by midnight on Sunday 6 August 2023. Good luck!
ENTER NOWThe Kids Rule! guide to Fashion & Fads (issue 26)
Read Kids Rule! magazine online to learn about the fashions and fads linked to our sites plus many more. You can take our quiz to see if you could make it as a 1930s architect, explore the story behind Queen Victoria's family portrait, and discover the most bizarre fads from history!
This is issue 26 in our series of Kids Rule! magazines following the history of England. Each issue is designed to help you discover more about our properties through fun facts, illustrated stories and games.
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