3-043-922 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of a Young Man Seated at Table, about 1852. Additional Info: This portrait of a young man offers an excellent, well-preserved example of elaborate hand-coloring, an extremely popular practice. The sky, the sitter's vibrant cravat, detailed waistcoat and trousers, and the tablecloth have been delicately tinted to create the illusion of natural color. Although more affordable than a painted portrait, photographs were expensive for the average customer in the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, from the early years of photography, there was a tremendous market for photographic likenesses.