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Portrait Photography

Portraiture is fundamental to the history of photography, and is one of its principle uses from its inception in the mid 19th century. Portraiture was no longer the privilege of the upper class, as photography made it accessible to the masses. Initially, long exposure times rendered it impossible to capture sitters clearly, but the technology improved with the daguerreotype and subsequent processes.

The daguerreotype produced a single image, but experiments with the wet plate collodion method yielded the ability to print multiple images quickly so families could have multiple portraits from one sitting. In a matter of only a few years, entrepreneurs such as Gaspar Felix Tournachon (Nadar) had opened commercial portrait studios both for celebrities and political figures as well as for the masses. Nadar pioneered techniques for posing sitters to achieve his own particular recognizable style. His contemporary, André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri achieved success with the development of the carte de visite, using a special camera that allowed him to make eight negatives at once.

Carte de visits were small portraits that friends exchanged and collected. Over time, the portrait was a reflecting pool for the various styles that took hold of the medium, from pictorial photography with its soft effects to street photography that captured people unaware, to the straight unflinching clarity of the 20th century.


Quick Facts

  • In addition to his advancements in the commercialization of photography for portraiture, Nadar was also well known for taking the first aerial photographs in a balloon above Paris
  • The famous yet amateur Pre-Rafaelite photographer Julia Margaret Cameron is known for the soft, pictorial effects of her celebrity portraits taken in the 1860s and '70s. She often intentionally increased the exposure time of her photographs to create the soft-focus effect
  • Richard Avedon is one of the most influential portrait photographers to emerge in the 20th century. His portraits were characterized by a close focus on the face against a white background, allowing each portrait to become a psychological and emotional study of the sitter

Recommended Items at Auction

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Large Lot of Ambrotypes, Daguerreotypes and Mini Tintype Photo Album
Jun 14, 10:00 AM EDT
Large Lot of Ambrotypes, Daguerreotypes and Mini Tintype Photo Album
by Paul Arsenault Auctioneers
Est: $0- $0
$32516 Bids
Photo of Buffalo Bill in Beaded Coat
Jun 21, 9:30 AM EDT
Photo of Buffalo Bill in Beaded Coat
by Old Barn Auction
Est: $40- $1,000
$706 Bids
Unknown, Hosteen Klah, Navajo Medicine Man, ca. 1925
Jun 18, 9:30 AM MDT
Unknown, Hosteen Klah, Navajo Medicine Man, ca. 1925
by Santa Fe Art Auction
Est: $20- $999
$1204 Bids
SCHIFFER CLAUDIA: (1970- )
Jun 17, 1:00 PM CEST
SCHIFFER CLAUDIA: (1970- )
by International Autograph Auctions Europe, S.L.
Est: €100- €150
€1203 Bids
LARGE TINTPE PHOTO OF BOSTON WHALER CAPTAIN
Jun 28, 11:00 AM EDT
LARGE TINTPE PHOTO OF BOSTON WHALER CAPTAIN
by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Est: $200- $300
$703 Bids
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Vintage Photographs
Jun 18, 6:00 PM EDT
Vintage Photographs
by Apple Tree Auction Center
Est: $0- $0
$73 Bids
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Edward Curtis Qahatika Girl Orotone Photo
Jun 14, 9:00 AM MDT
Edward Curtis Qahatika Girl Orotone Photo
by Davis Brothers Auction
Est: $2,000- $3,000
$253 Bids
Martín Chambi (Peruvian, 1891-1973) A Group of Three Photographs
Jun 20, 10:00 AM EDT
Martín Chambi (Peruvian, 1891-1973) A Group of Three Photographs
by Freeman’s | Hindman
Est: $1,000- $2,000
$5502 Bids
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Tattoo - Ephemera and Photo Collection
Jun 21, 11:00 AM EDT
Tattoo - Ephemera and Photo Collection
by Freedom Auction Company
Est: $100- $200
$602 Bids
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Hotel De Mineral Butte Montana Photo
Jun 14, 9:00 AM MDT
Hotel De Mineral Butte Montana Photo
by Davis Brothers Auction
Est: $50- $75
$202 Bids
Kehinde Wiley, b. 1977, BATTLE ON ANGHIARI STUDY II.
Jun 14, 11:00 AM CDT
Kehinde Wiley, b. 1977, BATTLE ON ANGHIARI STUDY II.
by Black Art Auction
Est: $1,000- $2,000
$5502 Bids
Robert Gober (b. 1954), Untitled, for "Parkett" vol 27, 1991
Jun 17, 12:00 PM PDT
Robert Gober (b. 1954), Untitled, for "Parkett" vol 27, 1991
by John Moran Auctioneers
Est: $600- $900
$3252 Bids
Framed Sepia Portrait Photograph,
Jun 18, 10:00 AM AEST
Framed Sepia Portrait Photograph,
by Aalders Auctions
Est: AUD30- AUD60
AUD201 Bid
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P.T. Barnum Signed Studio Portrait
Jun 21, 11:00 AM EDT
P.T. Barnum Signed Studio Portrait
by Freedom Auction Company
Est: $200- $400
$701 Bid
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Edward Curtis Kaviu Pima Photogravure
Jun 14, 9:00 AM MDT
Edward Curtis Kaviu Pima Photogravure
by Davis Brothers Auction
Est: $600- $800
$101 Bid
[PROVO] PLOPATOU ALBUM
Jun 19, 7:00 PM CEST
[PROVO] PLOPATOU ALBUM
by Zwiggelaar Auctions
Est: €70- €120
€701 Bid
Lincoln Russell - Photograph Portrait of Conductor Seiji Ozawa
Jun 19, 10:00 AM EDT
Lincoln Russell - Photograph Portrait of Conductor Seiji Ozawa
by New England Auctions
Est: $100- $200
$251 Bid
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS (Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, 1948). "Basquiat." Photograph, copy 38/250. Hand signed and justified.
Jun 19, 3:00 PM CEST
CHRISTOPHER MAKOS (Lowell, Massachusetts, USA, 1948). "Basquiat." Photograph, copy 38/250. Hand signed and justified.
by Setdart Auction House
Est: €1,500- €1,800
€7501 Bid
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General Tom Thumb - From Daguerreotype by Plumbe
Jun 21, 11:00 AM EDT
General Tom Thumb - From Daguerreotype by Plumbe
by Freedom Auction Company
Est: $100- $200
$301 Bid
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Colonel A.E. Stewart India Tiger Hunt Photo
Jun 14, 9:00 AM MDT
Colonel A.E. Stewart India Tiger Hunt Photo
by Davis Brothers Auction
Est: $200- $300
$101 Bid
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Colonel A.E. Stewart India Shikari Ibex Hunt Photo
Jun 14, 9:00 AM MDT
Colonel A.E. Stewart India Shikari Ibex Hunt Photo
by Davis Brothers Auction
Est: $300- $400
$101 Bid
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Colonel A.E. Stewart India Tiger Hunt Photo
Jun 14, 9:00 AM MDT
Colonel A.E. Stewart India Tiger Hunt Photo
by Davis Brothers Auction
Est: $400- $600
$101 Bid
KUSAMA YAYOI: (1929- )
Jun 19, 1:00 PM CEST
KUSAMA YAYOI: (1929- )
by International Autograph Auctions Europe, S.L.
Est: €200- €300
€2001 Bid
Edward Curtis Framed Image: "Pavaish - Pyramid Lake Paviotso"
Jul 12, 5:00 PM EDT
Edward Curtis Framed Image: "Pavaish - Pyramid Lake Paviotso"
by Gary R. Wallace Auctioneers Inc.
Est: $0- $0
$251 Bid

Sellers Who Sell Portrait Photography


MDP Auction

MDP Auction

Davis Brothers Auction

Davis Brothers Auction

Schneider-Henn

Schneider-Henn

Connoisseur Online

Connoisseur Online