Inside the Crayon Portrait

Crayon portraits are deceptive. Is it a drawing or a photograph? How do you know how old it is? Some are large and flat. Others are curved octagonal shapes. Should you scan it? What is the meaning of all of this?

Few photos raise as many questions as the crayon portrait. Popular from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, these lifesize images were once the height of fashion in portraiture. Paintings were expensive, but crayon portraits were cheaper, faster, and easier to make. These prints blended the accuracy of the photograph with the artistry of a painted portrait. In Photography in America: The Formative Years 1839-1900, Welling writes: “A demand for larger pictures was evidencing itself, prompting one observer to remark: ‘It is supposed that the albums are now full, and that the public now intend to fill their walls.’”

After years of open floor concepts and minimalist design trends, people are starting to think like the Victorians. Crayon portraits have always been cherished family heirlooms, but these images often lived in attics, closets, and basements. Our clients rescue crayon portraits from their parents’ and grandparents’ homes asking us, “What are these? What can I do with them?”

We have a few answers.

What are crayon portraits?

A crayon portrait is a weak photograph that is hand embellished with colored pastels or charcoal. Most crayon portraits are enlargements of existing images. In 1857, David A. Woodward, a professor at MICA, created an early solar enlarging camera. Welling writes, “Professor Woodward is not known to have experimented in photography previously, and said the idea for his camera originated from his desire to make enlarged copies of photographs on canvas in order to be able to paint portraits like them.”

Photography + hand artistry = crayon portrait.

To make this image, a photographer would place a negative in the back of the enlarger and expose it to bright daylight. This light would pass through a piece of condenser glass that evenly distributed light through a lens that projected the image onto salt paper. This material was later mounted on fabric and strainers or a board (flat, octagon, oval, cathedral, oblong, or convex) to stabilize the image. The photograph was weak (light in tone and a little soft) and required additional retouching to sharpen the image.

Photo enlarging comes with its own issues. When an image goes from small to big, any of the flaws in the photo are magnified and easy to spot. This happens even with today’s technology. Charcoals and pastels helped cover photo flaws and sharpen areas that were softened in the original photo in the enlargement process.

Crayon Portrait Fashion & Photo Dating

Sitting for a portrait was a major event. People wore their best outfits and jewelry during portraits. Some of our clients still own the brooch or pocket watch that their great-great-grandmother or grandfather wore in their portrait. After the photo was printed, the photographer would embellish the photo and draw in the latest fashion (a hair piece, collar, lapels, etc.) if needed.

The hairpiece on this crayon portrait was an artistic interpretation that reflects the fashion of the times.

While cheaper than commissioning an oil painting, a crayon portrait was still pricey. These portraits could cost 1-2 weeks’ worth of wages, and the average family paid for it by photo layaway (cents at a time). Most people purchased crayon portraits when a significant life event occurred, for example, a wedding or a christening. Families also commissioned posthumous crayon portraits. Since most crayon portraits were made using an existing photo, photographers could easily create a larger image. It was common to honor a deceased family member by hanging their portrait in the parlor.

This makes it difficult to accurately date a crayon portrait. When a client asks us to date a crayon portrait, Mary Lou often answers with a question: “Do you want us to date the crayon portrait in front of us or the original photograph?” This distinction matters because crayon portraits were usually made from an existing photograph, not a new photo sitting.

When you date a photo, you analyze the photochemistry first and then the clothing, hairstyles, and other fine details the subject provides. The photochemistry could indicate the crayon portrait was made between 1900 – 1905, but the clothing indicates an earlier time period. If the artist took artistic liberties by drawing fashionable hairstyles and clothing of a later period, then it is difficult to date without the original image.

To make things even more interesting, some photographers isolated or added people to a crayon portrait. For instance, if someone died young, a photographer could isolate that person from a group photo and create their own memorial crayon portrait. Other times, a photographer would create a crayon portrait of a husband and wife. We’ve seen portraits where the husband looks much younger than the wife because the crayon portrait was made out of two different photos from two different time periods. 

Crayon portraits gave people creative freedom they could afford. It’s safe to assume that many crayon portraits were of important family members or created during a significant moment. 

Crayon Portraits Today

The crayon portraits that exist today are fragile. The photo’s backing boards are acidic and brittle. It’s unstable. Many portraits have faded, but the hand embellishing is still strong. The pastels or charcoals are unfixed and sit on top of the photographic emulsion. It breaks down at a slower pace than its photochemistry. This sometimes results in a freaky-looking photo–the eyes, lips, and hair have rich detail, while the rest of the image is faded.

Crayon portraits also suffer from common photo damage. The images are often silvered–a damage that may be hidden under pastels. Cracked crayon portraits are very common, especially in convex pieces. If the image was poorly framed or exposed, silverfish can get in and eat the paper. 

Despite all of this, crayon portraits are beautiful and can be preserved. In many cases, a conservator can stabilize, mend, and fill in some of the damage on the original. It will never look perfect, but it will be close. Other times, a crayon portrait needs a full photo restoration. We do not recommend cleaning the photos yourself or scanning crayon portraits. They’re too fragile, and the charcoal and pastels can be disturbed too easily. If you’re not careful, you can wipe away half of the image.

At Coyle Studios, we photograph the original crayon portrait and restore the photo using a mix of traditional and darkroom methods. We create a new archival print that you can display, and you can store the original in a museum box. Many clients enjoy this method because they can make a smaller print, create copies for relatives, or display a “perfect” original to fit the aesthetic of their home.

Crayon portraits contain a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of beauty. It has become trendy to incorporate antiques and vintage pieces into your home design. Embrace your inner Victorian and “fill [your] walls” with your gorgeous family photos.

Interested in photo restoration? Check out our guide to photo restoration.