Portraiture

This portrait of Henry VIII was one of 22 in a set commissioned by Ralph Sheldon in the late 16th century.

Art Historian Discovers Long-Lost Portrait of Henry VIII in Background of Social Media Post

Commissioned by a wealthy tapestry maker in the 1590s, the Tudor king's likeness features a distinctive frame with a rounded top

The newly discovered self-portrait by Norman Cornish

Hidden Self-Portrait by Norman Cornish Discovered Behind Another Painting

A conservator in northern England stumbled upon the work on the reverse side of a piece called "Bar Scene"

A circa 1846 portrait of Dolley Madison by John Plumbe Jr.

The Smithsonian Acquires the Earliest Known Photograph of an American First Lady

The National Portrait Gallery purchased an 1846 daguerreotype of Dolley Madison for $456,000

The artworks are the only pendant marital portraits of an Amsterdam couple that Hals ever created.

These Dutch Newlyweds Had Their Portraits Painted Nearly 400 Years Ago. But Who Were They?

A curator has finally figured out the identity of the couple painted by Frans Hals around 1637

New Orleans’ first Gay Pride Parade was held in 1980, and the tradition continues today. 

Celebrate Pride Month With 15 Photos of LGBTQ Joy

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture vibrant parades and festivals around the world

Gilbert Stuart painted the famous Lansdowne portrait of George Washington. 

Before Andy Warhol Set His Eyes on Marilyn and Prince, There Was Gilbert Stuart and George Washington

Two court cases over 200 years apart reflect what happens when commercial and artistic interests meet

Hannah Uzor painted this portrait of Catherine, Princess of Wales, for Tatler's July 2024 cover.

Why a New Portrait of Catherine, Princess of Wales, Is So Controversial

For the second time this month, a painting of a British royal is garnering backlash

This photograph, depicting four royal women with their newborns, was a gift to the obstetrician who delivered all of the babies within a two-month period in 1964.

Never-Before-Seen Royal Family Portraits Go on Display at Buckingham Palace

"Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography" showcases 150 photographs taken between the 1920s and today

Jonathan Yeo's portrait of Charles III wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards

Charles III Unveiled His First Official Portrait as King. Is It Too Red?

Artist Jonathan Yeo's nontraditional approach to royal portraiture has drawn mixed reactions

Sylvia Beach, Paul-Emile Bécat, oil on canvas, 1923

These American Women Left Their Country and Took Their Talents to Paris

A show featuring early 20th-century figures tells the story of how the city became a haven for artists

Artist Graham Sutherland painted this study of William Churchill in preparation for a portrait that the politician famously despised.

A Study for the Portrait Winston Churchill Famously Abhorred Is for Sale

The final painting, dramatized on Netflix's "The Crown," was secretly burned in the middle of the night

Fans hold a photo of Selena during the ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.

How Museums Are Preserving and Celebrating Selena's Legacy

The singer’s presence can still be felt at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History

Reconstruction illustrating sliding cover as it opens, featuring Lorenzo Lotto's Portrait of Giovanna de' Rossi (left) and Portrait Cover With an Allegory of Chastity (right), circa 1505

Why Were So Many Renaissance Portraits Multisided?

A new exhibition at the Met is the first to examine the tradition of covered 15th- and 16th-century portraits, which were designed to be interactive and often portable

Liverpool artist William Lindsay Windus painted The Black Boy in 1844.

This Museum Needs Your Help Identifying the Subject of a 19th-Century Painting

Nobody knows the name of the child in "The Black Boy," but a museum in Liverpool is hoping someone will recognize him

Clark Gable and Joan Crawford by George Hurrell, 1936, Gelatin silver print

How 'The Magic Man of Hollywood' Captured the Golden Age's Biggest Stars

George Hurrell’s photographs of actors from the 1930s and 1940s dazzle in a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery

Hans Holbein the Younger's 1539 portrait of Anne of Cleves before (left) and after (right) conservation

See the Portrait That Made Henry VIII Fall in Love With Anne of Cleves, Newly Restored to Its Former Glory

The Louvre cleaned and conserved Hans Holbein's 1539 likeness of the Tudor queen, revealing its vibrant colors and previously hidden details

Portrait of the Artist, Vincent van Gogh, 1887

A Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait Is at the Center of a New Exhibition on the 'Art of the Selfie'

The National Museum Cardiff is encouraging visitors to snap photos with the 1887 artwork, which is on view in Wales for the first time

William H. Johnson, Harriet Tubman, ca. 1945, oil on paperboard.

How Painting Portraits of Freedom Fighters Became William H. Johnson’s Life’s Work

A new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum brings together the Black Modernist painter’s most famous series for the first time in more than 75 years

A video posted on social media shows a woman spraying red paint on the portrait, then cutting it with a handheld tool.

Pro-Palestinian Activists Damage Balfour Portrait at Cambridge University

The 1917 Balfour Declaration was a pivotal declaration of British support for a "national home for the Jewish people"

Portrait of Fräulein Lieser, the 31-by-55-inch work by Gustav Klimt, at a press conference in Vienna

Lost Gustav Klimt Portrait Rediscovered Nearly 100 Years After It Vanished

"Portrait of Fräulein Lieser," one of the last works the Austrian artist painted before his death, could sell for over $50 million

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