Portraits
Antique and vintage portrait paintings capture the people of the past with a directness no photograph matches. Our collection ranges from formal society portraits and character studies to intimate figure works, painted in oil and watercolour by British and European artists from the 18th to the 20th century.
Russian School , Mid 20 Th C-ry : Mordovian Woman And Boy , Over-painted Print
Antique Painting : Portrait Of A Lady , Mid Victorian School, Oval Pastel
James Ramsay : Portrait Of James Bonnell , Oil On Canvas
Circle Of George Goodwin Kilburne : Reading A Paper , Watercolor
William Malherbe (French, 1884-1951) : Potrait of a Lady, signed pastel drawing
Wolfram Onslow Ford (1879-1956) : Portrait Of A Gentleman, Oil On Board ,1942
George Henry Harlow : Portrait Of An Actress Harriet Litchfield , Oil On Canvas
George Anderson Short (1856-1945) : Portrait of the Artist's Mother, watercolour
Antique Painting (Early 20TH Cen-ry) : Portrait Of A Woman , Oil On Canvas
Attributed W.A.R. Lehmann 1876 Portrait Rev Edward Perowne Pencil Drawing Framed
Portraiture was frequently unsigned, so many fine examples are catalogued by school and period rather than by name — which is exactly where discerning collectors find quality at accessible prices. Each portrait is described with its medium, dimensions, period and condition, and many retain characterful original frames.
What you’ll find here
- Society portraits, character studies and figure paintings
- Oil and watercolour, 18th–20th century, British and European
- Named artists alongside works catalogued by school and period
- Original period frames on many pieces
Learn how portraits are attributed in Reading the Signature, see how to tell an original from a reproduction, or meet the artists behind the collection.