The Illustrated History Of Nail Art

The next time you pull that bottle of nail polish out of your medicine cabinet, think about how people have been engaging in that exact same ritual for 7,000 years now. That's right — the history of nail polish (or nail art, to be exact…read on and you'll see!) is a long one, and full of ups and downs, blingy accoutrements, Victorian chaste, Eureka moments, and dull spans of non-inspiration.

We've trekked back through history to better understand the dear practice of digit décor that has spanned civilizations and continents. Apparently, we're not the only ones who like getting our nails did! Presenting: The illustrious, illustrated history of nail art.