Darmstädter Madonna

Myth: That paintings are perfect representations of what the painter saw.

Unlike a camera, painters and paintings are not perfect examples for costume research, for various reasons. But while we know they aren't perfect, they are still good examples to research from, provided you understand what is useable and what may not be.

Here are a few examples of why they are not perfect research tools:

• Group images may date from a different time than the original event. Paintings were made for political or other reasons, not just to show what the people looked like.
• It is recommended by expert researchers to not use religious pictures or moral paintings indiscriminately, as they may be iconic, or tell moral stories, where the garments shown may be older in style, or sprung from the imagination of the painter. Donor families shown with Saints are more likely to be close representations of what was worn by that family.
• Colors in paintings may fade or change color over time. Ie, smalt blue backgrounds changed to brown over time in some of Holbein's images.
• Some artists may make a sitter look better than they actually were, or hide stitch lines, or change hair styles, or subsequent artists may have painted over the original image.

Jakob Meyer and his family with a Saint, painted by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1526-1530.