While I was busy writing one response, I realized this belonged in a whole separate post, so--
Y'all know we've got three separate illustrations of Blackbeard in the first season of OFMD, right?
You can see the tldr helpfully demonstrated in this three-panel remix comic from @asofterflag:
Figure 1. The three separate illustrations of Blackbeard seen so far, in chronological order from left to right. Also some text about sexy pirates.
Getting into the nitty-gritty: the first image is an extant depiction of Blackbeard with minimal editing (and is the one in Stede's book when he's talking to Frenchie):
Figures 2 and 3. Left: Blackbeard, as pictured by Benjamin Cole in the second edition of Charles Johnson's A General History of the Pyrates. Or so Wikipedia tells me. (Also, lol: six guns and a sword.) Right: Blackbeard, as shown opposite "Captain Kidd" in episode 3.
For reasons that I will expand on momentarily, I should also point out the following:
The background of the original image depicts three ships.
It moves too quickly to really clock, but we can be sure that at least one of the three ships is also depicted in the image that appears in the show-- you can see the mast touching Blackbeard's left sleeve, which is identically depicted in the original.
Keep this in mind.
The second image (what Stede shows Ed when they meet) is also based off an extant depiction of Blackbeard -- particularly in terms of the leg stance, trousers, bandolier, multiple weapons, smoking beard -- but there's been some hefty editing to get closer to what our Ed looks like:
Figures 4 and 5. Left: Blackbeard, as pictured by Joseph Nicholls in 1726/1736 in A General History of the Lives and Adventures of the Most Famous Highwaymen, Murderers, Street-Robbers. (Six or maybe seven guns. And a sword. And. A big stick.) Right: Blackbeard, as handed to Ed Teach in episode 4. (I count eight guns, plus a dagger, a sword, and Ed's bare right arm.)
Once again, I would like to point out the following:
The background of the original image only depicts one ship...
And the edited image, besides changing Blackbeard's appearance, has two.
So: Three. Two...
Again, keep this in mind.
But then we get to the third image. The one that Izzy rips out of a book and shoves at Ed, and that Ed then uses as a reference to fully embody his sad vampire clown image.
The third image? That fucker is completely original, and also very much our Ed.
Figure 6. Oh dang. Full Blackbeard. Fingerless gloves (hm), no guns, no knife -- just a sword and a skull.
And let me point out:
Only one ship now.
And. A lighthouse.
(This is Ed. Not the Kraken.)
But those ships, huh? Three. Two. One--
OH HEY remember how I said to keep some stuff in mind from earlier? YEAH.
So that first image of Blackbeard! The one with the matching ships in both it and the show version!
Let's go look at it more fully! In close up!
Figure 7. Oh hey look! Guess what's on fucking fire. Looks awfully familiar, where have I seen--
Figure 8. OH YEAH. IN THE PICTURE ABOVE STEDE'S BED. ONE OF ONLY TWO PIECES OF GODDAMN ART LEFT IN STEDE'S CABIN AFTER THE KRAKEN HAD IT PURGED.
YUP
JUST A SHIP
(ON FIRE)
AND A GOD DAMN LIGHTHOUSE.