During the 17th-century European plague, physicians wore beaked masks, leather gloves, and long coats in an attempt to fend off the disease. Their iconic and ominous look, as depicted in this 1656 ...

While the plague doctors of the 17th century certainly had a scary getup, de Lorme’s miasma-inspired leather overcoat and bird mask didn’t prevent anyone from contracting the plague.

Plague Doctors, with infamous beak masks, are a commonly associated with the Black Death. However, these costumes were far less common and emerged much later, in the 17th century. (Image credit ...

With their dark, heavy robes and beaked masks, the plague doctor will forever be associated with the bubonic plague, even though they first appeared in France and Italy in the 1600s, nearly 300 ...

Cops in the English village of Hellesdon are hunting for an unidentified individual who's been creeping out locals by lurking around town while dressed as a 17th Century plague doctor.

Plague doctors were active in the 16th century, ... "Despite being a scary, ominous costume just like the diseases it tried to protect against, the plague mask and costume wasn't very effective.

The crow-like plague-doctor mask of 17th- and 18th-century Europe is one of the earliest and creepiest protective coverings. Often paired with an equally unsettling leather ensemble and hat, its ...

In late 1582, the people of Alghero, a town on the island of Sardinia, Italy, fell victim to a plague outbreak that killed more than half the population. If not for a quick-thinking doctor named ...

Their hat and pointed beak-like mask appears to be a replica of those worn by doctors from the 1600s during resurgences of the bubonic plague. Police said they wanted to give ‘words of advice ...

In the 14th Century, doctors would have been easily identifiable by their wide-brimmed black hats worn close to the head. Plague Doctors and their hats are similar to today's chefs and soldiers.