A pneumatic plague epidemic in China in 1910-11 sparked widespread mask-wearing there. After the Communists came to power in 1949, there was intense fear of germ warfare, leading many to wear masks.

A cosplayer wearing the long, black nose of a plague doctor poses with a woman in a face mask for a photo at the Middle East Film & Comic Con in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 5 ...

The plague doctor ensemble dates back to 17th-century Europe when physicians wore the mask filled with perfume in a mistaken belief the fumes would protect them.

Pictures include a drawing of someone in a medieval plague mask, people wearing similar plague masks on the subway in 2020, and a black and white photo of people wearing cloth masks. After a quick ...