I’ve always been in love with this famous photograph of Julia Stephen (1846–1895), a renowned beauty in her day according to Wikipedia (I can see why) and mother of Virginia Stephen who would later become better known as Virginia Woolf. The photograph was taken by the celebrated Victorian photography pioneer (all the more so since she was a woman) Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879).

This photo has hypnotised me for many years!

Can we talk about the inimitably handsome and ruggedly charming Sir Joseph Banks (24 February 1743 – 19 June 1820)? He was a naturalist, botanist and one of the founding members of the Royal Society. He also largely funded, from his own pocket, the voyages of Captain James Cook and accompanied him on the voyages of discovery to collect specimens. The genus Banksia along with some 80 species are named after him.

Also, I think he looks kinda like Aidan Turner. (Bonus points?)

Guglielmo Marconi: Italian inventor who is known as the father of long distance radio transmission. He is often credited as the inventor of radio. He and Karl Ferdinand Braun received the 1909 Nobel Prize in physics. Smart and gorgeous. 

This is one of the most handsome poets of the interwar period - Kazimierz Wierzyński, who was a Polish poet, journalist and co-founder of the Skamander group of experimental poets.
His work Olympic Laurel (Polish: Laur olimpijski, 1927), which idealizes the grace and fitness of athletes, won the gold medal for poetry at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, and his other early poems also celebrate the joy of living.
His later works, written in exile, are more somber and socially conscious. The Bitter Crop (1933) includes poems about the United States. His Forgotten Battlefield (1944) contains narratives of World War II. He died in London, England.

Ambrose Biece

American editorialist,journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist.

daisy and violet hilton-

these lovely british ladies were conjoined twins. born in england in 1908, they were bought by their mothers employer because she saw a chance to make money with them. they toured around the world as a sideshow act, singing and dancing. 

in 1931, they sued their managers and became independent performers. they moved to the vaudeville circuit and became successful. in 1961, their tour manager abandoned them in charlotte, north carolina, with no income. they took a job at a local grocery store. they died in 1969 of the hong kong flu

Sulla - cunning as a fox, brave as a lion. Bad ass general, consul, dictator, and party animal.

Sure, he looks a little dowdy. But this is William Lyon MacKenzie King, 10th Prime Minister of Canada and grandson of the rebel William Lyon MacKenzie, first mayor of Toronto & the leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion, which, very Canadianly, was little more than a bar brawl at Montgomery’s Tavern.

MacKenzie had his negative points - he rejected the MS St. Louis, a boatload of Jewish refugees from Germany, interned Canadian Japanese during WWII, and shoved Canada up America’s ass during WWII, from which we have never really recovered.

But he also appointed the 1st female senator in Canada, was essential in the creation of the cbc and asserted Canada’s autonomy from Britain by building up our armed forces well before the beginning of WW2 by seeing what was coming.

And the best part? He used Ouija boards to commune with his dead mother & his favourite dog to help him govern the country. Sure, it sounds crazy, but he’s our longest-running Prime Minister and was voted #1 in a list of Greatest Canadian Prime Ministers.

And he was probably gay.

Maurice, Prince of Orange, (Maurits van Nassau).  Successfully led the Dutch Revolt over the Spanish. Modernized battlefield techniques, had his officers train not just lead infantry. Henry Hudson originally named the Hudson River, the Mauritius river and the island nation Mauritius is also named for Maurice.  He never married but fathered at least three children; I mean look at those thighs!

Owain Glyndŵr: The Foretold Son (1349 - 1416?)  Lawyer, landowner, knight, patriot, visionary, the last true Prince of Wales.  Glyndŵr is Wales’ greatest hero and, by the painstakingly researched facial reconstruction, utterly gorgeous.  My ultimate historical fantasy is to travel back in time and serve as a member of his personal Teleu.  Not that I’d be worthy to do so, but …