12 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About William Shakespeare

5. We Know Exactly What Shakespeare Looked Like... When Actually He Never Commissioned A Portrait Of Himself

Throughout his lifetime Shakespeare never commissioned one portrait of himself to be made, and the only one that seems to have been created while he still alive is the "Chandos" painting attributed to John Taylor. Painted between 1600 and 1610, this artwork has never actually been fully determined to be representative of Shakespeare's appearance, although it is believed to have been the basis for the engraved portrait of the playwright used on the front cover of the "First Folio" works in 1623. Named after the Duke of Candos who formally owned the painting, it is unclear why or how it was commissioned. This is the image was have of Shakespeare today, but he may have in fact looked nothing at all like this - even though it is believed that he did wear a gold earring.