JANUARY 11th - Why So Serious?



On this day in 2013, the first official portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was unveiled by painter Paul Emsley. If you’re not much of a Royal-Stalking Anglophile you might not realize that I’m talking about Kate Middleton. You also might not realize that apparently a royal portrait is a very big deal. And people weren’t very happy with this one. The Duchess’s smile is more of a smirk and the shading might be a little...shady. But in any case, how awesome is it to have your portrait commissioned? You have to be a pretty big deal to get someone to spend months painting something that the local drunk at Costco could capture for you on your iPhone. But then why would you want to commemorate your trip to Costco and risk the local drunk stealing your iPhone? Or you have to marry a Royal. There is air of regalness to a painted portrait. They do seem to be a bit stuffy though. I like those portraits where the subject is on a fire-breathing dragon or standing next a unicorn blowing rainbow bubbles out his flared nostrils. I’m pretty sure people wouldn’t have been talking about Duchess Catherine’s scowl or baggy eyes if she were standing next to a lion. With wings. Traditions can be a serious situation. But a winged lion? That trumps tradition every time.

This Day has been Marked.

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