ELI5: Who Is the Mona Lisa?

The Mona Lisa was a real woman named Lisa Gherardini, a regular mother and wife who lived in Italy a very long time ago.

Long before smartphones existed, people could not just snap a quick photo of their family. If a husband wanted a picture of his wife, he had to hire an artist to paint her. Lisa’s husband, a cloth merchant, hired a famous artist named Leonardo da Vinci to paint her portrait, just like a family today might hire a photographer for school picture day.

Even though she was just an everyday mom, her painted picture became the most famous painting in the world for a few reasons:

• The Mysterious Smile: When you look at her, she seems to be smiling, but if you look away, the smile almost disappears. It is like a fun optical illusion or a game of peek-a-boo.
• The Following Eyes: No matter where you stand in the room, her eyes seem to be looking right at you, just like a poster on your bedroom wall that seems to follow you around.
• Everyday Style: Unlike queens who wore shiny crowns and heavy gold jewelry, she wore simple clothes and no fancy gems, looking just like a normal person you might see walking down the street.