What is a portrait? A portrait is a likeness of a person in any medium. A portrait can be a painting, a sculpture, or any other artistic representation of a person.

We will be looking at paintings that are realistic in style: the face, hair, and body shape are all copied exactly.

Look at the portraits below.The pose of a subject in a portrait, items in the background, and what they are wearing or holding can tell us a lot about them. Historic portraits can be particularly interesting. They can reveal a lot about how people lived, for example what their belief systems were, and what was in fashion at the time.

       Mrs. Hammersley (née Mary Frances Grant, ca. 1863–ca. 1902), wife of a banker and a fashionable London hostess, is lightly poised on an elegant French sofa. Her willowy form and candid expression suggest Sargent’s ability to characterize and flatter simultaneously. Her gold-trimmed silk-velvet dress and the sumptuous setting announce his mastery of varied textures and patterns.

Singer Sargent, John. Mrs. Hugh Hammersley John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London). 1892. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Logo The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/20017465>.

          This painting of Joseph Brant (1743-1807), whose Mohawk name was Thayendanegea, is considered the finest portrait of a Native American painted in the 18th century. Brant was educated in Ebenezer Wheelock’s school in New Lebanon, Connecticut, and later became associated with Sir William Johnson (1715-1774), Superintendent of Indian Affairs for North America. As a courageous and capable military leader, he rose to high authority in the Iroquois Confederacy. Brant supported the British during the American Revolution and led the Iroquois in support of many British military campaigns.

Stuart, Gilbert. Joseph Brant (1742-1807). 1786. Fenimore Art Museum. American Treasures at Fenimore Art Museum. 4 Nov. 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://www.fenimoreartmuseum.org/files/fenimore/collections/fine_folk_art/exhibit1/e10052a.htm>.

              William Cooper (1754-1809), the father of novelist James Fenimore Cooper, was born in Smithfield (now Somerton), Pennsylvania. He received little education, worked as a wheelwright in Byberry, Pennsylvania, and then became a merchant in Burlington, New Jersey. In the 1780s, he turned to land speculation. Through energy, self-confidence, and business acumen, he was remarkably successful. Within 20 years, he acquired a fortune and is credited with the settlement of 750,000 acres, including the site of Cooperstown, which he founded in 1786. (Note the street plan of Cooperstown shown rolled in his hand.) After moving his family to the town in 1790, William Cooper was made a judge in 1791 and was elected to Congress as a Federalist in 1794 and again in 1798.

Stuart, Gilbert. William Cooper (1754-1809). 1794. Fenimire Art Museum. AMerican Treasures at the Fenimire Art Museum. 4 Nov. 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://www.fenimoreartmuseum.org/files/fenimore/collections/fine_folk_art/exhibit1/e10042a.htm>.

 William Prior, Mrs. Nancy Lawson, 1843, oil on canvas. Collection of Shelburne Museum

Pryor, William. Rs. Nancy Lawson. 1843. Collection of Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT. American Paintings. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://shelburnemuseum.org/collections/american-painting/?gallery#p48-a-h96025>.

You are going to be creating a self portrait. A self-portrait is a piece of artistic work, in which the artist creates a likeness of themselves. Self-portraits can often tell us a lot about how an artist perceives themselves, or how they would like to be perceived by others. If your portrait was found hanging in a museum hundreds of years from now what can we tell about:

• your personality
• your mood and emotions
• how you perceive yourself
• what time in history was the photograph produced
• what are you were trying to show

Once you have considered, composed and snapped your photo you will now bring your self-portrait into the Twenty-First Century using Thinglink.  ThingLink, a provider of image interaction tools, changes how people interact with photos by transforming them into a navigational surface for search, commerce, and social connection. ThingLink technology allows the user to connect their images to anywhere on the Internet, tranforming how we interact with images. Watch the video below to learn more about Thinglink and then take a look at my Self-Portrait using Thinklink.

A special thank you to Marc Eckert and Kerri McBride for green screen help.