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Cited by 2Historical Art and Culture StudiesCultural History and Identity FormationRenaissance Literature and Culture

The Face of an Empire: Cosmetics and Whiteness in Imperial Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I

Open access
Allen-Flanagan, Tara·2020·Refract: An Open Access Visual Studies Journal
DOI 10.5070/r73151193
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Abstract

When Queen Elizabeth I entered her fifties, she grew reluctant to sit for any more portraits. The final three portraits that she sat for – the Armada Portrait, The Ditchley Portrait, and the Oliver Miniature – painted between the mid-1580s and her death in 1602, portray the Queen with a smooth, white face, and bright coral lips and cheeks. The style of painting the Queen’s face as seen in these last portraits were canonized as a pattern for future artists to follow when painting the Queen during and after the last years of her reign. In the Elizabethan era, the English government often attempted to control how the Queen was depicted in artwork; in 1596 the English Privy Council drafted a proclamation that required portraits of the Queen depict her as “beutyfull [sic] and magnanimous” as “God hathe blessed her.” In both art historical scholarship and popular culture, the Queen’s whitened skin and rouged lips and cheeks in her official portraiture are often cited as evidence of her vanity and waning looks. However, as I will explore in this paper, the use of cosmetics in the early-modern era was associated not only with narcissism, but with England’s colonial efforts. By considering discourses regarding both her status as a symbol of natural beauty and the racist associations that were associated with makeup application, I argue that the legibility of makeup on the Queen’s face in imperial portraits and preservation of this motif as a pattern can be read as a symbol of her imperial and racial domination in the Americas and in England.

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This essay argues that the legible cosmetics on Queen Elizabeth I’s face in her late imperial portraits—the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait—can be read as symbols of England’s colonial and racial domination, not merely as evidence of vanity or aging. It connects the whitening and red pigments to imported colonial goods and to Elizabeth’s contemporaneous policies targeting Black individuals in England.

Key findings

  • The paper argues that the stylized, mask-like white face and bright coral lips/cheeks in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait serve as symbols of imperial and racial domination in the Americas and in England.
  • It links these cosmetics to colonial trade: the best ceruse came from Venice, blusher was colored with red brazilwood from the Americas, and cochineal was brought to England from Mexico via Spanish trade routes in the mid-sixteenth century.
  • It contextualizes the portraits with Elizabeth’s 1596–1601 letters to the mayor of London calling for the deportation of every Black individual in England, and with the 1596 Privy Council proclamation requiring portraits to depict her as “beutyfull [sic] and magnanimous” as “God hathe blessed her.”
  • It critiques Roy Strong’s “Mask of Youth” narrative, noting that Strong claims a 1594 government mandate imposed an ageless official image but provides no further clarification; the essay argues the queen’s mask-like white face was unique to her own portraiture.

Methods

  • Art-historical visual and comparative analysis of portraits across Elizabeth’s life, including *Elizabeth I when a Princess* (1546–47), the Darnley and Phoenix portraits (1575), the Ermine portrait (1585), the Armada Portrait (c. 1588), The Ditchley Portrait (c. 1592), and the Oliver Miniature (1592).
  • Draws on primary and secondary sources: Privy Council minutes from 1596, the queen’s deportation letters from 1596–1601, Elizabethan cosmetic recipes, and scholarship by Roy Strong, the Belseys, Anna Riehl, Kim F. Hall, Kimberly Poitevin, Aileen Ribeiro, Romana Sammern, and Frances E. Dolan.
  • Main analysis traces the legibility of makeup and the material history of imported cosmetic ingredients to argue that cosmetics in the late imperial portraits function symbolically, beyond vanity or aging.

Limitations

  • The paper states that “the scope of the present essay only scratches the surface” and that more work is needed in art history on the queen’s makeup in portraiture.
  • It acknowledges that Strong does not clarify the alleged 1594 governmental mandate for the Mask of Youth, and that Riehl notes a lack of unbiased evidence about whether Elizabeth actually wore makeup; the essay focuses on the symbolic inclusion of cosmetics regardless of real-life use.
  • Evident from the text: the argument is interpretive and relies on visual and textual discourse rather than direct empirical proof that the depicted cosmetics correspond to Elizabeth’s lived appearance.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.5070/r73151193

Cites

9 of 9 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

0 of 39 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingnone given

    In the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait, the queen's skin is divided into reflective planes that mask any texture that may be present beneath them.

    “In the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait, the queen's skin is divided into reflective planes that mask any texture that may be present beneath them.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingcitation

    The style of painting the queen's face in her last portraits was canonized as a pattern for future artists to follow when painting the queen during and after the last years of her reign.

    “The style of painting the queen's face as seen in these last portraits was canonized as a pattern for future artists to follow when painting the queen during and after the last years of her reign.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [1]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Findingreasoning

    When compared with the Oliver Miniature, the queen's face as it appears in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait is highly stylized and mask-like.

    “When compared with the Oliver Miniature, the queen's face as it appears in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait is highly stylized and mask-like.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingnone given

    The final three portraits Elizabeth I sat for-the Armada Portrait, the Ditchley Portrait, and the Oliver Miniature-painted between the mid-1580s and her death in 1602, portray the queen with a smooth, white face and bright coral lips and cheeks.

    “The final three portraits that she sat for-the Armada Portrait, The Ditchley Portrait, and the Oliver Miniature-painted between the mid-1580s and her death in 1602, portray the queen with a smooth, white face and bright coral lips and cheeks.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingnone given

    There is no evidence of real skin texture or naturalistic shading in the final two large-scale portraits that the queen sat for: the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait.

    “However, there is no evidence of real skin texture or naturalistic shading in the final two large-scale portraits that the queen sat for: the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 30
  • May combine two claims. 35
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 2

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    In the Armada Portrait, the queen's skin is as white and smooth as porcelain; her under-eye area consists of a glowing plane of white that extends to her temples.

    “In the Armada Portrait, her skin is as white and smooth as porcelainher under-eye area consists of a glowing plane of white that extends to her temples.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Findingnone given

    In the Armada Portrait, the queen's skin is devoid of texture, ensuring that only the color added by makeup-red lips, red cheeks, white skin, forehead veins-remains.

    “Her skin is devoid of texture, ensuring that only the color added by makeup (red lips, red cheeks, white skin, forehead veins) remains.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    In her early portraits, the queen's skin is matte and blends naturally from one part of her face to the other.

    “In her early portraits, the queen's skin is matte and blends naturally from one part of her face to the other.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    In the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait, there remains telling evidence of aging in the deep indents under the queen's eyes and prominent nasolabial folds; the cosmetics on her face do not completely succeed in masking her mortality.

    “While Strong reads this mask as the result of government mandates outlawing any reference to her aging face, there remains telling evidence of aging in the deep indents under her eyes and prominent nasolabial folds-the cosmetics on her face do not completely succeed in masking her mortality.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [19]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    In The Ditchley Portrait, the queen's face is entirely devoid of color except for her cheeks and lips; her skin is so white that it appears gray and corpse-like next to her cream-colored dress.

    “In The Ditchley Portrait, the queen's face is entirely devoid of color except for her cheeks and lips; her skin is so white that it appears gray and corpse-like next to her cream-colored dress.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning

    In the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait, the natural body of the queen is manipulated to the point of caricature-her waist is long and small, her shoulders inhumanly wide.

    “In the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait, the natural body of the queen is manipulated to the point of caricatureher waist is long and small, her shoulders inhumanly wide.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingcitation

    The Oliver Miniature, an unfinished portrait made in 1592 by Isaac Oliver, functions as a face pattern: only the queen's facial features and hair color are shaded in over an opaque blue background, and her clothing is lightly sketched in and left uncolored.

    “The Oliver Miniature, an unfinished portrait made in 1592 by Isaac Oliver, an artist working in Nicholas Hilliard's studio, functions as a face pattern: only the queen's facial features and hair color are shaded in over an opaque blue background, and her clothing is lightly sketched in and left uncolored (Fig. 3).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [6]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Findingnone given

    Depictions of the queen were based on the face patterns employed in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait.

    “Because depictions of the queen were based on the face patterns employed in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait, whose creation coincides with Britain's attempts to permanently colonize America, it is worthwhile to consider how the legibility of makeup in her portraits serves as a symbol of imperial domination.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    The Ditchley Portrait depicts the queen standing on top of England on a globe, with the earth's curvature visible next to the massive skirt of her jewel-encrusted gown.

    “Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger's 1592 portrait of the queen, known as The Ditchley Portrait, depicts her standing on top of England on a globe-the earth's curvature is visible next to the massive skirt of her jewel-encrusted gown.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Findingnone given

    In the Armada Portrait, the queen sits with her right hand resting over the American continent on a globe while, behind her, Spanish ships are stranded in a desert and lost at sea.

    “She sits with her right hand resting over the American continent on a globe while, behind her, Spanish ships are stranded in a desert and lost at sea (Fig. 1).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Findingnone given

    There is visual evidence that the faces in the late portraits were used as patterns by artists.

    “While there is certainly visual evidence that the faces in these late portraits were used as patterns by artists, Strong does not provide any more clarification about the 1594 governmental mandate that definitively called for the creation of a Mask of Youth-nor does he expand on what it entails.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given

    While there is no shortage of writing by men in the Elizabethan era about the falseness of face painting, any reference to the queen's own use remains strictly in the realm of cosmetics, not paint.

    “However, while there is no shortage of writing by men in the Elizabethan era about the falseness of face painting, any reference to the queen's own use remains strictly in the realm of cosmetics, not paint.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Dark skin became associated with both the foreign other and the unattractive woman, as something to hide and cover with makeup.

    “Dark skin became associated with both the foreign other and the unattractive woman-as something to hide, to cover with makeup.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    In 1596, the queen sent an open letter to the mayor of London calling for the deportation of every Black individual in England-an unprecedented grouping of individuals based on their skin color rather than geographic origin.

    “In the same year, the queen sent an open letter to the mayor of London calling for the deportation of every Black individual in England-an unprecedented grouping of individuals based on their skin color rather than geographic origin.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [5]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    The debate surrounding the circulation of images of the queen began in 1563, when the government first discussed trying to control the production and dissemination of her image.

    “While the debate surrounding the circulation of images of the queen began in 1563, when the government first discussed trying to control the production and dissemination of her image,”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The importation of foreign goods is inextricably linked to Queen Elizabeth I's attempts to establish colonies in the Americas.

    “The importation of foreign goods is inextricably linked to Queen Elizabeth I's attempts to establish colonies in the Americas-when English merchants and travelers returned from their trips overseas, they brought cosmetics products”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given

    Although Queen Elizabeth I ruled from 1558 until her death in 1603, she never married and produced no heirs; her virginity came to represent her ability to rule England without being hindered by her gender.

    “Although Queen Elizabeth I ruled from 1558 until her death in 1603, she never married and produced no heirs; her virginity came to represent her ability to rule England without being hindered by her gender.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    In art-historical scholarship and popular culture, the queen's whitened skin and rouged lips and cheeks in her official portraiture are often cited as evidence of her vanity and waning looks.

    “In both art-historical scholarship and popular culture, the queen's whitened skin and rouged lips and cheeks in her official portraiture are often cited as evidence of her vanity and waning looks.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given

    The queen was famous for her natural white skin, which is commonly thought to have been enhanced through the use of white paints, such as Venetian ceruse, as she aged.

    “The queen was famous for her natural white skin, which is commonly thought to have been enhanced through the use of white paints, such as Venetian ceruse, as she aged.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    The creation of the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait coincides with Britain's attempts to permanently colonize America.

    “whose creation coincides with Britain's attempts to permanently colonize America”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • The quote only partly states this claim.

    Interpretationcitation

    The conflation of the body of the head of the kingdom (the natural body) with the kingdom itself (the body politic) is due partly to the few texts from the Elizabethan era that explicitly refer to the queen's makeup use-her beauty is said to be natural.

    “This is due partly to the conflation of the body of the head of the kingdom (”the natural body“) with the kingdom itself (”the body politic“).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [28]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In the wake of the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s and the splitting of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, Henry VIII used royal portraiture as a key method to refashion himself as both a king and a spiritual leader.

    “In the wake of the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s and the splitting of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534, Henry VIII, head of the House of Tudor and the orchestrator of the split, used royal portraiture as a key method to refashion himself as both a king and a spiritual leader.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [27]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait include symbolic images of the queen's imperial domination and function as testaments to her military strength.

    “These two large-scale portraits include symbolic images of her imperial domination and function as testaments to the queen's military strength.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    For Elizabeth I, the reassertion of monarchical power through portraiture not only established her legitimacy as an unmarried Tudor monarch but also reinforced her control over the popular narratives surrounding her reign.

    “For Elizabeth I, the reassertion of monarchical power through portraiture not only established her legitimacy as an unmarried Tudor monarch but also reinforced her control over the popular narratives surrounding her reign.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    By the mid-seventeenth century, dark skin and the application of paint became conflated, partly because many beauty products were of foreign origin.

    “She notes that by the mid-seventeenth century, dark skin and the application of “paint” became conflated; this was partly due to the foreign origin of many beauty products”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [40]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

    Premisenone given

    Strong's comprehensive iconographic analysis of the most prominent portraits of the queen set a precedent as to how images of the queen are viewed and written about today.

    “Strong's comprehensive iconographic analysis of the most prominent portraits of the queen set a precedent as to how images of the queen are viewed and written about today.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given

    In 1588 the queen sat for the Armada Portrait, which reimagined her victory over the Spanish Armada as a luxurious tableau.

    “In 1588 the queen sat for the Armada Portrait, which reimagined her victory over the Spanish Armada as a luxurious tableau.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    In his 1596 account of an expedition to Venezuela, Sir Walter Raleigh writes about finding a variety of berries in Trinidad that produced a pleasing color when applied to the skin.

    “In his 1596 account of an expedition to Venezuela, Sir Walter Raleigh, a favorite of the queen and an early agent of colonization, writes about finding a variety of berries in Trinidad that produced a pleasing color when applied to the skin.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [4]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Queen Elizabeth I was considered an icon of beauty throughout her youth, and as time passed gossip of her using cosmetics to hide her changing face emerged among her critics and peers.

    “Queen Elizabeth I was considered an icon of beauty throughout her youth, and, as time passed, gossip of her using cosmetics to hide her changing face emerged among her critics and peers.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [7]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisereasoning

    When the queen came down with smallpox in 1562, she was said to be free of any scarring; she herself propagated this myth.

    “For example, when the queen came down with smallpox in 1562, she was said to be free of any scarring.She herself propagated this myth, as she was keenly aware of the duality she served as both masculine ruler and feminine body:”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.

    Interpretationcitation

    The refusal to imply that the queen's appearance was the result of paint is seen in a popular recipe for cosmetic water that she was said to use; the recipe is clear that this solution is a cosmetic, not a paint-the queen does not mask her face, she enhances it.

    “This refusal to imply that the queen's appearance was the result of paint is seen in this popular recipe for cosmetic water, a sort of lotion, that she was said to use:”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [36]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Hall links the visibility of the queen's use of cosmetics in The Ditchley Portrait not with their status as imported materials but with the symbolism of her clothing.

    “Hall links the visibility of the queen's use of cosmetics in The Ditchley Portrait not with their status as imported materials but with the symbolism of her clothing”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [41]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The Belseys note that imperial symbolism pervades the composition of The Ditchley Portrait, seen in the celestial sphere pendant by her left ear, and claim that she is represented as ruler not only of Britain upon which she stands but of the cosmos as a whole.

    “The Belseys note the imperial symbolism that pervades the composition, seen in the celestial sphere pendant by her left ear, and claims that she is represented as ruler not only of Britain upon which she stands but of the cosmos as a whole.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [46]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    The Armada Portrait celebrates both the queen's dominion over continental European powers and the Americas, a theme reinforced in The Ditchley Portrait four years later.

    “The Armada Portrait celebrates both the queen's dominion over continental European powers and the Americas-a theme reinforced in The Ditchley Portrait four years later.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [44]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The best ceruse, a white lead-based pigment, came from Venice; blusher was colored with red brazilwood from the Americas; and cochineal, a new source for red rouge, was brought to England from Mexico via Spanish trade routes in the mid-sixteenth century.

    “The best ceruse, a white lead-based pigment, came from Venice; blusher was colored with red brazilwood from the Americas; and cochineal, a new source for red rouge, was brought to England from Mexico via Spanish trade routes in the mid-sixteenth century.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [42]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    This statement serves as an outlier; according to Hall, Elizabeth's failed policy to expel individuals based on their skin color highlights how the white queen could not attempt to remove Black individuals from a kingdom they already inhabited.

    “This statement thus serves as an outlier; according to Hall, Elizabeth's failed policy to expel individuals based on their skin color highlights how the white queen could not attempt to remove Black individuals from a kingdom they already inhabited”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [52]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisereasoning

    While the queen's natural beauty served as an inspiration for cosmetic trends, she escaped accusations of face painting during her lifetime.

    “While the queen's “natural” beauty served as an inspiration for these cosmetic trends, she escaped accusations of face painting during her lifetime.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    At the same time that she was trying to expel people from England based on the color of their skin, Elizabeth's subjects were traveling to the Americas and returning with materials that were used to alter her own.

    “At the same time that she was trying to expel people from England based on the color of their skin, Elizabeth's subjects were traveling to the Americas and returning with materials that were used to alter her own.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Although the queen and her government attempted, in vain, to control the dissemination of images of the monarch from 1563 until her death, unofficial reproductions of her face remained widespread and popular.

    “Although the queen and her government attempted, in vain, to control the dissemination of images of the monarch from 1563 until her death, unofficial reproductions of her face remained widespread and popular.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [56]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    The first English colony in America was established in 1584, and although this first settlement was abandoned by 1590, it was a precursor for the founding of Virginia only decades later by Queen Elizabeth's successor, James I of England.

    “The first English colony in America was established in 1584, and although this first settlement was abandoned by 1590, it was a precursor for the founding of Virginia only decades later by Queen Elizabeth's successor, James I of England.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [43]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    While Poitevin calls attention to how the mixture of foreign materials in English cosmetics was a heated topic in early modern debates over whiteness and beauty, she does not consider how the queen's own makeup application and enhanced whiteness may have factored into these discussions.

    “While Poitevin calls attention to how the mixture of foreign materials in English cosmetics was a heated topic in early modern debates over whiteness and beauty, she does not consider how the queen's own makeup application and enhanced whiteness may have factored into these discussions.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [54]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Kimberly Poitevin argues that women who applied white makeup to their faces in early modern England performed their race in what she calls the act of whiteface.

    “Kimberly Poitevin argues that women who applied white makeup to their faces in early modern England performed their race in what she calls the act of whiteface”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [53]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Hall discusses how the tension between light and dark in portraits of Queen Elizabeth I reinforces her, and thus England's, whiteness.

    “Hall discusses how the tension between light and dark in portraits of Queen Elizabeth I reinforces her, and thus England's, whiteness.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hall, “Beauty and the Beast of Whiteness”

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    According to Hall, because of the symbolic function of imperial portraiture, the values associated with the queen's white skin and ornate clothing are indicative of those of the nation she presides over.

    “According to Hall, because of the symbolic function of imperial portraiture, it is the values associated with the queen's white skin and ornate clothing that are indicative of those of the nation she presides over.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [41]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    Elizabeth's statement conflates two different groups based on the color of their skin, a political move that must be considered alongside popular contemporaneous discourses regarding race and visibility.

    “Elizabeth's statement conflates two different groups based on the color of their skin-a political move that must be considered alongside popular contemporaneous discourses regarding race and visibility.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisereasoning

    Hall does not explicitly discuss how the material history of imported cosmetics factors into discussions of the queen's projected whiteness during her reign.

    “she does not explicitly discuss how the material history of imported cosmetics factors into discussions of the queen's projected whiteness during her reign.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Hall, Things of Darkness

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

    Premisenone given

    The Ditchley Portrait was painted as a gift to the queen's champion, Henry Lee of Ditchley, in a chiaroscuro style, a new aesthetic for portraits of the queen that favored stylized forms over realistic representation.

    “The Ditchley Portrait was painted as a gift to the queen's champion, Henry Lee of Ditchley, in a chiaroscuro style-a new aesthetic for portraits of the queen that favored stylized forms over realistic representation.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Poitevin only briefly refers to the queen's cosmetic use as it relates to aging despite later making important connections between racism and Elizabethan cosmetic culture.

    “Poitevin only briefly refers to queen's cosmetic use as it relates to aging despite later making important connections between racism and Elizabethan cosmetic culture”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [55]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Elizabeth's face in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait exists alongside a clear and established message of imperial domination; as monarch, her portraits were not subject to the same early modern narrative regarding vanity that was applied to portraits of court ladies.

    “Elizabeth's face in the Armada Portrait and The Ditchley Portrait exists alongside a clear and established message of imperial domination; as the monarch, her portraits were not subject to the same early modern narrative regarding vanity that was applied to portraits of court ladies.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

    Interpretationnone given

    The final face type that was copied in works of the queen after her death held important racial implications.

    “the final face type that was copied in works of the queen after her death held important racial implications.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationcitation

    While the call for deportation was entrenched in the political and economic issues of the day, as the group she refers to initially included enslaved individuals that the English had captured from a Spanish colony in the Americas, Elizabeth's statement posits individuals of African descent as inferior to those of European descent.

    “While this call for deportation was entrenched in the political and economic issues of the day, as the group she refers to initially included enslaved individuals that the English had captured from a Spanish colony in the Americas, Elizabeth's statement posits individuals of African descent as inferior to those of European descent.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [50]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The queen's mask-like white face was unique to her own portraiture, and although other women may have mimicked her beauty, their faces were not stylized to the same degree as hers.

    “The queen's mask-like white face was unique to her own portraiture, and, although other women may have mimicked her beauty at the time, their faces were not stylized to the same degree as hers was.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The Ditchley Portrait is the largest portrait of the queen painted during her lifetime.

    “it is the largest portrait of the queen painted during her lifetime.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [45]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

53 of 53

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Two different years are given for Elizabeth's death

    Minor

    The abstract places Elizabeth's death in 1602, while the body states that she died in 1603.

  • Elizabeth's stated age conflicts with the date of the Ditchley Portrait

    Minor

    The paper says Elizabeth was about thirteen in 1546-47 and dates the Ditchley Portrait to 1592. That would make her about 58 or 59 when it was painted, not in her early sixties.

2 of 2

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Montrose, "Idols of the Queen," 149n4. 17 Ibid. 18 For examples of scholars who mention Strong's Mask of Youth as evidence of the queen's vanity in her old age, see Anna Riehl, The Face of Queenship: Early Modern Representations of Elizabeth I (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), 62;
  2. Anna Riehl, The Face of Queenship: Early Modern Representations of Elizabeth I (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), 9n30. Riehl notes that while Queen Elizabeth I's cosmetic use is mentioned in books on early cosmetic culture by other scholars of English literature, it is not discussed in-depth. 22 Riehl, Face of Queenship, 124. 23 Ibid., 125. The poem she cites reads as follows: "But here are colours red and white, / Each lyne, and each proportion right; / These Lynes, this red and white- nesse, / Have wanting yet a life and light, / A Majestie, and brightnesse." 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid., 59. 26 Montrose, "Idols of the Queen," 108. 27 Ibid. 28 Riehl, Face of Queenship, 62. 29 Ibid., 3.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Allen-Flanagan, T.
Corresponding author
Allen-Flanagan, Tara
Venue
Refract: An Open Access Visual Studies Journal
Publisher
California Digital Library (CDL)
Published
2020-12-21
Volume
3
Issue
1
ISSN
2640-9429 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.5070/r73151193
OpenAlex
W3114744365
Cited by
2
References
8
Citations by year
2022: 1 · 2021: 1
FWCI
4.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Refract An Open Access Visual Studies Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Museology › Historical Art and Culture Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Cultural History and Identity Formation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Classics › Renaissance Literature and Culture
Keywords
Elizabeth I, portraiture, cosmetics, whiteness, colonialism, imperialism, Elizabethan England, natural beauty

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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-08.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-08.

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