Elizabeth 1– People – SOURCES

Posted onAuthorQueenie Chan

When it comes to the people in Elizabeth’s life, portraits of them are fairly easy to find. I sourced all of the above paintings Wikipedia, though it should be noted that not all of the characters are drawn according to their portrait, and some are reproductions of missing originals or symbolic representations rather than depictions of actual people.

Elizabeth in her coronation gown. There are several variations of this image, some of which reproductions of lost originals.
From a painting of Elizabeth 1 as Pax, holding an olive branch in her hand, and with the sword of justice below her. The original painting was not from Elizabeth’s time, and as such, only appears on the first page of the comic.

Elizabeth’s Makeup: As Elizabeth ages in the comic, you may have noticed that her makeup gets noticeably heavier. With caked-on white make up (white lead and vinegar) and rouge which made her look clownish, this concoction actually poisoned her over time. The truth is, Elizabeth started wearing heavy makeup earlier than depicted in the comic, starting at age 29 due to a near-lethal bout of smallpox in 1562 A.D. that left her skin scarred. Self-conscious, she covered all these flaws with makeup, and when her hair grew extremely thin, constantly wore a wig.

King Henry VIII with his six wives. From the top left hand corner and in an anti-clockwise direction, they are: Catherine of Aragon (1st, Mary’s mother), Anne Boleyn (2nd, Elizabeth’s mother), Jane Seymour (3rd, Edward’s mother), Anne of Cleves (4th), Catherine Howard (5th), Catherine Parr (6th).
Elizabeth’s half-siblings, from left to right: King Edward VI, Queen Mary I, and finally Elizabeth herself as a teenager.
Some key figures in Elizabeth’s life, from left-to-right: Mary, Queen of the Scots, who was Elizabeth’s main rival for the English throne until her execution. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, who was Elizabeth’s chief advisor and who worked tirelessly under her and whom she called her ‘Spirit’ for his dedication. King Phillip II of Spain, who courted Elizabeth (and had married Mary) early on, but who would ultimately be her biggest enemy.
Some characters who were very important, but whom didn’t get much time in the comic due to the need to tell a compressed story, from left to right:
  • Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and the rumoured love of Elizabeth’s life. He doesn’t look like his portrait since I wanted to distinguish him from all the other characters, though he was allegedly dark-complected like a gypsy.
  • Sir Francis Walsingham, who was Elizabeth’s Spymaster and who ran a network of spies that uncovered several assassination plots. His role in her government was secondary only to William Cecil’s, even though it was rumoured that Elizabeth didn’t like him much on a personal level. When he died, his spy network died along with him.
  • Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, who launched the failed ‘Essex rebellion’ later on in Elizabeth’s life. I glossed over his story since it lasted barely one afternoon, but he was indeed very dear to Elizabeth, and was also Robert Dudley’s stepson. It is not without some irony that he launched his rebellion partly out of dissatisfaction with the influence of Robert Cecil, son of William Cecil, who had replaced his father in Elizabeth’s group of advisors. This rendition of him is not based off his portrait, but off an artist’s depiction of a melancholy youth representing Robert, since Essex was actually quite well-liked.