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Portrait Photography For Sale
Style: Photorealist
Style: Post-War
David Bowie Aladdin Sane Contact Sheet by Brian Duffy framed
Located in Austin, TX
Contact sheet print taken from the David Bowie Aladdin Sane album cover shoot by Brian Duffy Taken from the original 1973 negatives, these official Duffy Archive prints are open edi...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Portrait of Nikita Khrushchev in Profile, Mid Century Black & White Photograph
Located in Soquel, CA
Exquisite black and white photograph of Nikita Khrushchev, a portrait in profile of the former Premier of the Soviet Union, by Yousuf Karsh from his ...
Category

1960s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

Faye Dunaway Oscar outtake by Terry O'Neill signed Lifetime Edition
Located in Austin, TX
Lifetime prints are the last remaining prints available, signed by Terry O’Neill and obtained from the Terry O’Neill Archive in London. American actress Faye Dunaway takes breakfast by the pool with the day's newspapers at the Beverley Hills...
Category

1970s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Jimi Hendrix 1967 Contact Sheet by Gered Mankowitz
Located in Austin, TX
Jimi Hendrix, London 1967 by Gered Mankowitz taken during Gered's first phot shoot with Hendrix. Signed limited edition 16x20" print, signed and numbered by Gered Mankowitz featuri...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jack Nicholson
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition archival print of Jack Nicholson at the Carlisle Hotel, March 1981 by Allan Tannenbaum. Allan Tannenbaum prints are available in...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Wallace Nutting Antique Hand Colored Photograph c.1910 Pencil Signed
Located in San Francisco, CA
Wallace Nutting Antique Hand Colored Photograph Photo dimensions 75" wide x 9.5" high The frame measures 14" wide x 18" high The pho...
Category

Early 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper

Karen Seltenrich "Groupies", signed limited edition silver gelatin print
Located in Austin, TX
Karen Seltenrich by Baron Wolman, taken in San Francisco in 1970 as part of Baron's Groupies series, taken for Rolling Stone magazine. Limited edition number 2/150, signed and noted...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

MAN RAY (1890-1976), SURREAL DISTORTED HOUSE, 1920 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: SURREAL DISTORTED HOUSE REFLECTION Date Of Negative: 1920 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Da...
Category

1920s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photogravure

The Rolling Stones "Keith and Pug"
Located in Austin, TX
The Rolling Stones "Keith and Pug" - Outtake from the famous photo shoot of The Rolling Stones for their Beggars Banquet album at Sarum Chase mansion, Hamp...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Rock and Roll Circus Group Portrait
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition, archival pigment print from photographer Alec Byrne, taken during the Rock and Roll Circus taping on December 11th, 1968 featuring, ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin

The Rolling Stones "Mick and Chick" Beggars Banquet
Located in Austin, TX
“Mick and Chick” by Michael Joesph from the famous photo shoot of The Rolling Stones for their Beggars Banquet album at Sarum Chase mansion, Hampstead, L...
Category

1960s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

David Bowie with Scottie Dog by Brian Duffy
Located in Austin, TX
Museum quality print of David Bowie from the official Duffy Archive. Taken from the original 1980 negative, these official Duffy Archive prints are open edition, authenticated with...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

MAN RAY (1890-1976), ABSTRACT RAYOGRAPHY, 1927 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: ABSTRACT RAYOGRAPHY Date Of Negative: 1927 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 19...
Category

1920s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photogravure

Chris Cornell by Chris Cuffaro
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, from acclaimed music photographer, Chris Cuffaro. Taken in September 1991 in Indio, CA Signed limited edition 17x22" print, edition number 25/50 Chris Cuffaro has shot the best of the best in the music world including ground-breaking bands like Jane’s Addiction...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

MAN RAY (1890-1976), ANDRE DERAIN, 1926 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: Andre Derain Date Of Negative: 1926 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 1934 1st ...
Category

1920s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photogravure

Rolling Stones Mick Jagger by Jim Herrington
Located in Austin, TX
Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1989 by Jim Herrington 17x22" Archival pigment print on baryta 315 gsm, acid-free, 100% cotton-fiber paper. Edition 75 ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix 1967 silver gelatin print
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition, silver gelatin print of Mick Jagger with Jimi Hendrix by Alec Byrne, taken at the Top Of The Pops TV studios, London, May 1967. Alec recalls, “I got a late p...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

June Carter and Johnny Cash by Lynn Goldsmith
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition 16x20"" print of June Carter and Johnny Cash taken during a performance in 1980 by Lynn Goldsmith. Limited edition number 2/20 Modern C-type print. Available...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

HANK WILLIAMS III by Jim Herrington
Located in Austin, TX
Hank Williams III, Nashville, Tennessee, 1998. On August 17, 1952, Hank Williams was jailed overnight in Alexander City, Alabama for drunken and disorderly behavior. 46 years, 2 months and 10 days later in 1998. photographer Jim Herrington paid homage to that moment whilst photographing his grandson Shelton Williams, aka Hank III, in the stench-y alley behind the Ryman Auditorium. The “jail door...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

The Doors by Art Kane
Located in Austin, TX
The Doors, taken in 1968 by Art Kane The band shot that accompanied the Jim Morrison TV/Xray portrait in Life Magazine’s April 1968 ‘The New Rock’ photo essay. This photograph is an...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Jefferson Airplane 1968 for the cover of Life Magazine by Art Kane
Located in Austin, TX
Taken for the cover of Life Magazine, Jefferson Airplane, 1968 by Art Kane Art Kane pioneered the art of conceptual portraiture. He didn’t photograph artists doing their thing, he p...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

David Bowie 1972 Contact Sheet Print, Framed
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition contact sheet of print David Bowie by Barrie Wentzell, taken during an interview at 252 Regent Street, London in January 1972. One of the images was used on th...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Giclée

The Sex Pistols, Carnaby Street 1976 by Ray Stevenson
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition fine art photograph of The Sex Pistols by Ray Stevenson. Shot on London's famous Carnaby Street, this pre-Sid Vicious, early shot of the Pistols features orig...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Giclée

Blondie rooftop hammock by Lynn Goldsmith signed limited edition 20x24" print
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition 20x24"" print of Blondie members, Chris Stein and Debbie Harry relaxing in a hammock on the rooftop of their New York City apartment in 1978 by Lynn Goldsmith....
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Bernard Sumner of New Order
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition 16x20" silver gelatin print of Bernard Sumner by Kevin Cummins. This stunning shot of the New Order frontman was taken in New York Cit...
Category

1980s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Mick Jagger, Marquee Sound Check, London 1971
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition, archival pigment print of Mick Jagger by Alec Byrne, taken at The Marquee Club, London, March 26th 1971, during the Rolling Stones soundcheck. Alec recalls, “I’d photographed them in big theaters and at Hyde Park, of course, but I’d never been this close, just a few feet from Jagger (not counting that time in the bed). I literally felt the sweat coming...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin

David Bowie Scary Monsters Clown Contact Sheet by Duffy
Located in Austin, TX
Museum quality contact sheet print of David Bowie in the Scary Monsters Clown costume from the official Duffy Archive. Taken from the original negatives from the Scary Monsters and ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Tom Waits, Mantello, 1992
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Tom Waits, taken in Paris 1992 by Guido Harari 16x20" giclee print Guido Harari has photographed many music legends in his prolific career in Italy. Lou Reed said about him: "I'm always happy when Guido takes my picture because I know it will be a musical picture...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Giclée

Bent Sound - underwater portrait of Njomza Vitia - archival pigment print 18x24"
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
"Bent Sound" - An ethereal underwater fine art photograph that captures the intersection of music and movement through a portrait of singer Njomza Vitia. This submerged portrait tran...
Category

2010s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Black and White Portrait of an Elderly Woman - Imogen Cunningham
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a seated elderly woman by Imogen Cunningham (American, 1883). Presented in a new white mat. Tag from the studio of Imogen Cunningham affixed ...
Category

1960s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Bob Dylan Contact Sheet Print
Located in Austin, TX
Contact sheet of Bob Dylan, taken at the BBC TV Studios, London 1965 by Barrie Wentzell Barrie recalls : On the first of June, 1965, Bob came to the BBC Studios in London, to do a live concert. I went along to rehearsals but the studio was empty, so I headed off to the canteen bar where I ran into some musicians I knew from The Pretty Things. Sitting a few tables away were Bob Dylan and his chum Bobby Neuwirth. I sat and chatted with the Pretty Things, who later would be immortalized in a line in one of Bob’s songs, “The Sweet Pretty Things are in bed now, of course. This Bob Dylan print...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Giclée

David Bowie "He'd Blow Our Minds" by Sukita
Located in Austin, TX
16" x 20", signed limited edition print of David Bowie, titled "He'd Blow Our Minds" by Masayoshi Sukita. This print is also available as a 30x40" signed limited edition print. “...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

David Bowie Aladdin Sane Eyes Open by Brian Duffy with gold frame
Located in Austin, TX
David Bowie Aladdin Sane "Eyes Open" print from Brian Duffy, taken during the phot shoot for the Aladdin Sane album cover. This "Eyes Open" shot was introduced for the first time to promote the hugely successful David Bowie Is...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

David Bowie Smoking Clown Contact Sheet by Duffy
Located in Austin, TX
Museum quality contact sheet print of David Bowie smoking a cigarette in the Scary Monsters Clown costume from the official Duffy Archive. Taken from the original negatives, these o...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Debbie Harry Blondie 1977
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Debbie Harry of Blondie by Michael Brennan, taken at the studio on East 45th in Manhattan, New York, USA, Febru...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Jimi Hendrix by Baron Wolman signed limited edition 16x20" print
Located in Austin, TX
Jimi Hendrix by iconic photographer, Baron Wolman. Taken at the Travelodge Motel, San Francisco, February 1968 One copy available Signed limited edition #30/175 20x16” hand printed ...
Category

1960s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Barbra Streisand (fur hat)
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A photograph by Lawrence Schiller. “Barbra Streisand (fur hat)” is a figurative photograph, vintage silver gelatin photograph in black and white by American artist Lawrence Schiller. The artwork is signed on the verso. Lawrence Schiller only remembers the 60s in this way: Fast. As in: Blur. Which is, for those who lived through it, as accurate a description as one is likely to find about the decade that began with optimism and ended in chaos. It was ten years of turmoil and exploration. And through this turbulent and tumultuous decade, it often seemed that whenever a headline-making news event occurred, Lawrence Schiller was there. Schiller was not just lucky to be in the right place at the right time; he was prescient. He was there to cover the event, to add to it, to help us see it, to aid its meaning and its depth. "It was a time in which things happened awfully fast," Schiller says of the decade. "It was a wild, wild period; an uncontrolled period. I don’t think you had any sense of perspective in the 60s. You had to wait and look back at it, because it was a period in which things were happening that had no rhyme or reason to it. But by the end of the ‘60s I had covered so many stories, had so many magazine covers, I had somehow become part of that decade’s history. And I already had my eye on the future." When Lawrence Schiller got the assignment from the French magazine, Paris Match to photograph Marilyn Monroe on the 20th Century Fox set of Something’s Got to Give, he thought nothing of it. It wasn’t to be a private, studio shoot. He wasn’t going to set up lights, create backgrounds, or use a tripod. Just another assignment, he figured. Monroe by then was firmly established as a figment in the imagination of most young men. The orphan Norma Jean had recreated herself as the blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. She’d appeared in twenty-nine films by the time Schiller photographed her in black and white and color in May, 1962. The world was unprepared for the moment when Marilyn jumped in the swimming pool in a flesh-colored bikini and came up out of the water au natural. She was all smiles and in her element: the sex goddess...
Category

Mid-20th Century Post-War Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

David Bowie & Twiggy Pin-Ups album cover, 1973 by Justin de Villeneuve
Located in Austin, TX
English model Twiggy poses with David Bowie in Paris for the cover of his ‘Pin Ups’ album, 1973, by Justin de Villeneuve Justin recalls, "Twiggy and I were staying in the Bel Air Hotel in LA when Peter...
Category

1970s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

MAN RAY (1890-1976), PAUL ELUARD, 1930 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: PAUL ELUARD Date Of Negative: 1930 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 1934 1st E...
Category

1920s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photogravure

The Rolling Stones "Stones Playing Cricket" London 1968
Located in Austin, TX
“From the famous photo shoot of The Rolling Stones for their Beggars Banquet album at Sarum Chase mansion, Hampstead, London, 1968. Featuring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones...
Category

1960s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

David Bowie - Scary Monsters Remastered Color Contact Sheet by Duffy
Located in Austin, TX
David Bowie - Scary Monsters Remastered Color Contact Sheet Taken from the original negatives, these official Duffy Archive prints are open edition, authenticated with the official ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

MAN RAY (1890-1976), MRS ROWELL, 1930 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: MRS ROWELL Date Of Negative: 1930 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 1934 1st Ed...
Category

1920s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photogravure

Morrissey by Kevin Cummins
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition silver gelatin print of English singer and songwriter Morrissey, photographed whilst on his 'Kill Uncle' tour in Cologne, Germany, May 1991. This Morrissey pr...
Category

1990s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Elvis Presley 1956 portrait
Located in Austin, TX
Fine art print of Elvis Presley from the collection of acclaimed photographer. Lynn Goldsmith, taken in 1956 These prints are open edition and come with full certification. Availab...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Ivy Nicholson in New York for American Vogue, 1957
Located in Austin, TX
Model and future Factor Star, Ivy Nicholson in New York for American Vogue, 1957 by Norman Parkinson NORMAN PARKINSON POSTHUMOUS LIMITED EDITION PRINTS ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Ian Curtis of Joy Division by Kevin Cummins
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition silver gelatin print of Ian Curtis by Kevin Cummins. Edition number 38/75 This iconic shot of the Joy Division singer was taken at T...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Ronnie Wood and David Bowie by Rolling Stones Bill Wyman, signed framed print
Located in Austin, TX
Ready to ship immediately. Free domestic US shipping. Rolling Stones guitarist, Ronnie Wood and a camera- shy David Bowie at the Kellgren House in Los Angeles, September 3rd 1975 by...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Dolly Parton ‘Here You Come Again’ 1974 by Ed Caraeff
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Dolly Parton taken during the cover session for her album ‘Here You Come Again’ on July 7, 1977 in Los Angeles, California by Ed Caraeff. Signed limited edition print number 3/50 This stunning print is also available in the following sizes with a limited edition of 50. 20" x 24" 30" x 40" 40" x 60" Ed Caraeff is a photographer and art director. He has worked with, photographed, designed or art directed hundreds of album covers. His photography archive includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Elton John, Carly Simon,Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Tom Waits, Tim Buckley, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Neil Diamond...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Frank Zappa by Lynn Goldsmith
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Frank Zappa taken in 1978 by Lynn Goldsmith Signed limited edition #2/20 - signed, numbered and titled by Lynn Goldsmith
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Paul McCartney
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition print of Paul McCartney by Alec Byrne, taken in London in 1970. This Alec Byrne signed limited edition prints is available in. the f...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

MAN RAY (1890-1976), ABSTRACT RAYOGRAPHY, 1922 Photogravure, FIRST EDITION
Located in Pembroke Pines, FL
Artist: Man Ray (American born, 1890 - 1976) Title: ABSTRACT RAYOGRAPHY Date Of Negative: 1922 Type Of Print: Authentic Vintage Sheet Fed Photogravure/Heliogravure. Date Of Print: 19...
Category

1920s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Photogravure

Pavarotti, 1977
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Francesco Scavullo (after) Title: Pavarotti, 1977 Portfolio: A Photographic Retrospective, Volume I: Song Medium: Gelatin Silver Print Year: 2004 Edition: 106/150 Signed: Sig...
Category

Early 2000s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jimi Hendrix by Gered Mankowitz
Located in Austin, TX
Jimi Hendrix, London 1967 by Gered Mankowitz A portrait of Jimi looking serious while in an embroidered jacket. "Shot during my first session with Jimi at my Studio in early 1967." ...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Adele Collins for British Vogue
Located in Austin, TX
Norman Parkinson’s homage to a painting by Dutch artist Kees van Dongen entitled The Corn Poppy. Adele Collins wearing an Otto Lucas velvet toque. British V...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

David Bowie "The First Time I Saw You" 1972 by Sukita
Located in Austin, TX
16" x 20", signed limited edition print of David Bowie, titled "The First Time I Saw You" by Masayoshi Sukita. Limited edition number 2/30 - signed and numbered by Sukita This pr...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Twiggy iconic limited edition photograph of model Twiggy by Arthur Steel
Located in London, GB
Fashion shoot at Twiggy's boyfriend Justin de Villeneuve’s home, Chelsea 1966. Iconic and stylish. One of a kind. Camera: Leica 35mm. Film stock: Kodak Tri-X Pan. Location: Chelsea, London. Year: 1966. Edition of 30 at this size. Other sizes available contact us for more information. All prints are titled, numbered, signed and carefully enfolded in acid free tissue paper and inserted into a rigid 4mm thick protective cardboard tube for delivery. This is for print only. Certificate of Authenticity: Each print acquired from The Arthur Steel Archive is accompanied by an individually signed Certificate of Authenticity. ABOUT ARTHUR STEEL This photographer's archive of iconic images is nothing short of fabulous, and counts David Walliams as a collector. His most famous photograph is arguably of Diana and Charles's kiss on the balcony on their wedding day. He was one of just a handful of photographers who were on the 'royal rota' that day. Regarded as a highly respected editor and Fleet Street photographer, Arthur photographed a vast array of celebrities over the years. In his images one can see how at ease his subjects felt in his company, such as Eric Morecambe within his study, Elton John at home with his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin...
Category

1960s Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Archival Paper, Digital

David Bowie Aladdin Sane Eyes Open by Brian Duffy
Located in Austin, TX
David Bowie Aladdin Sane "Eyes Open" print from Brian Duffy, taken during the phot shoot for the Aladdin Sane album cover. Taken from the original 1973 negatives, these official Du...
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

C Print

Courtney Love 1996
Located in Austin, TX
Signed limited edition 16x20" silver gelatin print of Courtney Love by celebrated British photographer, Kevin Cummins, taken in Zurich Switzerland, 1996....
Category

Late 20th Century Photorealist Portrait Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Portrait Photography for Sale on 1stDibs

Portrait photography can be a powerful part of your wall decor. Find a provocative and compelling portrait that speaks to you and you might find that the photograph will speak to your guests too.

Prior to the development of photography, which eventually replaced portrait paintings as a quicker and more efficient way of capturing a person’s essence, the subject of a portrait had to sit for hours until the painter had finished. In 1839, chemist and Philadelphia-based photographer Robert Cornelius didn’t have to wait very long for his portrait. In a matter of minutes, he captured what many believe to be the first portrait photograph. This shot was also the first self-portrait (or what we now call a “selfie”), and fine photography quickly became an art form.

Landscape photography, nude photography and portrait photography are very popular in today's modern interiors. A portrait can reveal a lot about the person in it. It can also add a narrative touch to your decor. You’ll often find that photographs of loved ones work well as decorative touches. A portrait of a family member or dear friend can help turn a house into a home, warming any space by evoking fond memories.

While family portraits can stir emotion, portraits of celebrities and important historical figures can also add a rich dynamic to your space. Portraits of famous musicians or intriguing actors hung in your dining room or home bar shot by Gered Mankowitz or Annie Leibovitz might inspire deep conversation over meals or drinks. Douglas Kirkland is also famous for his celebrity portraits. His photojournalism made him much sought after by Hollywood studios to document the filming of movies. In Kirkland’s powerful depiction of Hollywood stars, he excellently captures the glamour of their lives.

Other artists like Elliott Erwitt stand out by turning portraiture into a playful art form. Before graduating from high school in Hollywood, Erwitt had already begun to teach himself to take pictures, inspired by the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson. In image after image, Erwitt captured what photographers call “the moment” with rapier wit and penetrating humanity.

Portrait photography can be incredibly expressive, setting the tone and mood for a room. And there are different ways of incorporating portrait photography into your interior decor. If you’re thinking about adding color photography to a bedroom or living room, the colors of the portraits can become part of the room’s palette, while portraits shot in black and white won’t disrupt an existing color scheme.

On 1stDibs, find a vast selection of portrait photography from different eras, including 1950s portraits, 1960s portrait photography and more.

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