Antebellum Portraiture

Antebellum literally means “before the war,” and it refers to the time before the Civil War. During this era, Southern plantation owners and merchants profited from fertile land, cheap labor, and prosperous trade. A wealthier economy promoted a common focus on the importance of one’s social status. Prior to the era of photography, the physical appearance and social status of a person or a family could be forever memorialized in painted form. As a result, portraits became the most popular forms of artwork among those who could afford to pay for them.

Highlights (Click on an image for object details)
Lizzie Neigh Weir By William C. A. Frerichs 1864	Portrait of African-American Woman By James Hamilton Shegogue 1825–1833	Portrait of Levi Fletcher By Thomas Sully 1830
Portrait of Mrs. William Creighton (Elizabeth Meade Creighton) By Charles Bird King c. 1820	Portrait of Western Berkeley Thomas and Emily Howard Thomas of Augusta, Georgia By George Cooke 1840	Young Girl with Cat By Nicola Marschall 1867