The clothing worn by plague doctors was intended to protect them from airborne diseases during outbreaks of bubonic plague in Europe. It is often seen as a symbol of death and disease. Contrary to pop
Plague doctor outfit from Germany (17th century) [citation needed]
One of the only two known surviving plague masks; dated to between 1650 and 1750; held by the German Historical Museum, Berlin
A beaked Venetian carnival mask bearing a picture of a plague doctor, and the inscription Il Medico della Peste ('The Plague Doctor') beneath the right eye
Posing with variations on plague masks in New Orleans during the April 2020 pandemic shutdown
The Carnival of Venice is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy, famous for its elaborate costumes and masks. The Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash W
Plague doctor costume
…substances. The costume is also associated with a commedia dell'arte character called Il Medico della Peste ('The Plague Doctor'), who wears a distinctive plague doctor's mask. The Venetian mask was normally white, consisting of a hollow beak and round eye-holes covered with clear glass, and is one of the distinctive masks…
The Venetian Carnival tradition is most famous for its distinctive masks.
Carnival in Venice, by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, 1750
Juliet and her Nurse by J. M. W. Turner, 1863
Typical masks worn at the Venice Carnival, which portray the satirical and exaggerated appearances often used