Portrait Photography for Sale
Save your search and find it in your favorites
Save your search to find it quickly
Saved search
Your search is accessible from the favorites tab > My favorite searches
Unsaved search
A problem occurred
Francis Joyon
Christophe Paucelier
Photography - 60 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,075
Salvatora mundi
Mathilde Oscar
Photography - 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$679
Rosea Salvator Mundi
Mathilde Oscar
Photography - 60 x 40 x 1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch
$679 $611
Lost & found (3)
Théo Gosselin
Photography - 60 x 90 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 35.4 x 0 inch
$2,490
I would have liked to know the world as it was
Idan Wizen
Photography - 120 x 120 x 0.1 cm Photography - 47.2 x 47.2 x 0 inch
$2,829
Elvis Presley, Tropical Island
Paloma Castello
Photography - 101.6 x 76.2 x 0.3 cm Photography - 40 x 30 x 0.1 inch
$2,000
The Petal of your Skin 004
Ivanna Alejandra Sanchez Moretti
Photography - 60 x 80 cm Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 inch
$905
Aguaje awaiting transport, Dublin
Carlos Pericás
Photography - 18 x 13 cm Photography - 7.1 x 5.1 inch
$187
Lady of Naggaroth 1
Léa Bon
Photography - 91.4 x 61 x 0.3 cm Photography - 36 x 24 x 0.1 inch
$2,000
Richard Ashcroft (1999)
Kevin Westenberg
Photography - 101 x 76 cm Photography - 39.8 x 29.9 inch
$4,504
Red Hot Chili Peppers (1992)
Kevin Westenberg
Photography - 101 x 76 cm Photography - 39.8 x 29.9 inch
$4,504
R.E.M. Collage (1996)
Kevin Westenberg
Photography - 76 x 60 cm Photography - 29.9 x 23.6 inch
$3,253
Patricia Arquette (2001)
Kevin Westenberg
Photography - 76 x 61 cm Photography - 29.9 x 24 inch
$3,253
Daddy G Massive Attack
Kevin Westenberg
Photography - 76 x 61 cm Photography - 29.9 x 24 inch
$3,253
Invisible Identity
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 0.1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$3,112
Invisible Complexity
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 0.1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0 inch
$3,112
Silent Contradiction
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0.4 inch
$3,112
Nameless Mystery
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0.4 inch
$3,112
No face, No Identity
Robert Jaso
Photography - 57 x 41 x 1 cm Photography - 22.4 x 16.1 x 0.4 inch
$3,112
A Faceless State
Robert Jaso
Photography - 100 x 100 x 1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch
$2,772
Hipster in Stone VII, Hoplite
Léo Caillard
Photography - 80 x 120 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 inch
$4,074
The creation of blood and bones
Brooke Shaden
Photography - 100 x 100 x 0.1 cm Photography - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0 inch
$5,884
Chanel Autrement / Madame Frida.
Franck Doat
Photography - 30 x 25 x 0.1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 9.8 x 0 inch
$622
Lucia at eleven
Cristina Fontsare
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$905
Lucia and Tika
Cristina Fontsare
Photography - 40 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$1,132
Cinder - Fallen princess
Dina Goldstein
Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$2,829 $2,688
Jasmine - Fallen princess
Dina Goldstein
Photography - 40 x 50 x 1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch
$2,490
The hood is falling short
Cristina Fontsare
Photography - 40 x 51 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 20.1 x 0 inch
$1,132
Lucia at thirteen
Cristina Fontsare
Photography - 40 x 51 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 20.1 x 0 inch
$1,132
El Reflejo
Cristina Fontsare
Photography - 60 x 50 x 0.1 cm Photography - 23.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
$1,245
Sombra, Serie Pasaporte Santiago
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 36 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,697
Reyes, Serie Pasaporte Santiago
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 36 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,697
Caracol, Serie Pasaporte Santiago
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 36 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,697
Dama. Serie Pasaporte Santiago
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 36 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,697
Pregonera, Serie Pasaporte Santiago
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 36 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,697
La Catalina. De la serie Como antes
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 36 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 14.2 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,697
Serie Callejeros musicales 2
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 24 x 32 x 2 cm Photography - 9.4 x 12.6 x 0.8 inch
$1,358
S/T de la Serie Callejeros musicales (1)
Sonia Almaguer
Photography - 32 x 24 x 2 cm Photography - 12.6 x 9.4 x 0.8 inch
$1,358
Korean dreams, North Korea 10
Nathalie Daoust
Photography - 50 x 50 cm Photography - 19.7 x 19.7 inch
$1,245
Korean dreams, North Korea 7
Nathalie Daoust
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
$1,245
Korean dreams, North Korea 6
Nathalie Daoust
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
$1,245
Korean Dreams, North Korea 4
Nathalie Daoust
Photography - 50 x 75 cm Photography - 19.7 x 29.5 inch
$1,245
Les âges de la vie
Vincent Citot
Photography - 80 x 120 x 1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch
$1,811
Architects Anonymous
Alexander Benz
Photography - 80 x 80 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0 inch
$2,037
The lithium chane
Jason DeBose
Photography - 58 x 87 x 2 cm Photography - 22.8 x 34.3 x 0.8 inch
$2,037
New Year's dinner, Miami Beach
Andy Sweet
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,867
Friedman's Bakery, Miami Beach
Andy Sweet
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,867
Man in Lounge Chair, Miami Beach
Andy Sweet
Photography - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Photography - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch
$1,811
Discover the styles & movements
Discover the selection of our experts
Portrait Photography for Sale
In the 1830s, Nièpce discovered the process for setting images onto pewter plates. In 1833, upon Nièpce's death, Louis Daguerre and François Arago continued his experiments and invented the daguerreotype, a process which created a printed image on a silver plate that had been exposed to light. Photography was born.
Similarly to how portrait painting had dominated artistic output in previous centuries, portrait photography was to become the pillar of the Second French Empire's photographic industry. Lenses with a shorter focal length, which enabled reduced exposure times, gradually appear on the market. The required equipment was expensive and difficult to handle. Some photographers, called daguerreotypists, decided to open their own photography studios to make a profit from their endeavours. The daguerreotype process was temperamental, and photographers had to take their pictures with great precision and attention to detail. They welcomed many people into their studios and customers choose how they wished to be photographed from catalogue of poses. Originally only accessible to the bourgeoisie, lower prices resulting from the growing number of studios eventually attracted a wider customer base. This phenomenon infuriated the poet Charles Baudelaire who was frustrated by the sense of narcissism sparked by the daguerreotypists.
Despite his protests, the egotistical trend only grew with the emergence of 'carte de visite' portraits (small photographs, the size of today's business cards). These were the brainchild of Adolphe Eugène Disdéri came up with the idea of producing portraits akin to visiting cards in 1859. He printed eight portraits in a variety of poses onto a single plate and once developed they could be cut up into eight distinct “visiting cards". Very popular with the bourgeoisie, they highlighted the sitters' social status. 'Carte de visite' portraits featuring celebrities were also sold to customers, who could subsequently add them to their albums.
The photographer Nadar was one of the first to demonstrate a conscious artistic approach to producing these portraits. He emphasised facial expressions and ensured the sitter was comfortable and at ease before taking the photograph. He photographed the era's greatest thinkers and artists, including Honoré de Balzac, George Sand, and Victor Hugo. He even managed to reconcile Baudelaire with portraiture.
At the end of the 19th century, the art of photography started to enter the mainstream, with the arrival of the Kodak company. The use of the camera, and the taking of portraits, became everyday occurrences. A century later, it was the invention of the digital camera which challenged the status quo. Whereas before alterations could only be made to photographs when they were being taken or developed, with the digital camera editing became easier, quicker and more convenient. Digital photography has given photographers much more freedom when it comes to editing and new methods and techniques are constantly being explored.
Some of the photographers who have left their mark on the last century include: Cindy Sherman, who excelled in self-portraits, Annie Leibovitz, who captured celebrities, the wacky duo, Pierre and Gilles, as well as Diane Arbus, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Bettina Rheims.
So, do portraits help us to learn more about each other, to remember, to invent, to act, or to reconnect with ourselves? Find out on Artsper, by exploring the works of Formento & Formento, Naomi Vona, Ahmed Bennani, Chou Ching Hui, Samuel Cueto, Brno del Zou, Ren Hang, Markus + Indrani, Jerome Liebling as well as Annina Roescheisen.
A portrait photograph can be a photograph of a person's head and shoulders, but it can also be of an animal or of a different section of the subject's body such as their feet. Portrait photographs in art often tell or hint something about its subject to the viewer, such as an aspect of their personality, but still contain an element of mystery.
The three major types of portrait photography are posed portraits, candid or anonymous portraits, and conceptual portraits. The last type, conceptual or creative portraits, can be experimental and abstract, and may not represent an image close to a traditional portrait.
The six main types of portrait photography are fine art portraits, traditional portraits (for example posed portraits taken at school), lifestyle portraits, group portraits, street portraits and glamour portraits.