19th C Portraiture
April 5, 2004 7:52 PM 
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Question about the process of portraiture in the late nineteenth century in general, and San Francisco artist Addie Ballou in particular. [More inside.]
A friend of mine and I are writing a screenplay set in San Francisco in the late nineteenth century. One of the characters is Addie Ballou, a real-life painter, suffragette, and poet. We want to depict her painting a portrait of a gentleman, but aren't sure about the logistics of portraiture at that time.
Specifically, we're wondering about how a painter would go about planning a portrait (sketches and so forth), how long the sitting time would usually be, and how long the entire process, from planning through painting, would normally take. Also, would a reasonably established but not terribly famous painter at that time have been likely to have a studio in his or her own home, or in a separate building? (One of the few historical references we've been able to find on Ballou says that she arrived in San Francisco in 1870, studied art, and "set up her studio.")
I realize there are a lot of variables involved, including the artist's personal style, the situation surrounding the particular portrait, etc., but any general guidelines or references would be appreciated. Specific information or pointers to information about Addie Ballou would be great, too.
This is the important part, I guess. You have a couple of options:
- Ignore the process part of the art-making altogether. This would be pretty easy to write.
- Research what other painters from the same period were doing. People did underpaintings for a long time, but this way of painting may have gone out of vogue with Impressionism.
or
- Use a (possibly fictitious, but entirely possible [albeit unverifiable]) painting style - of your choice - as a metaphor for your character's individuality. Sorry I can't find anything really informative for you.
posted by interrobang at 11:50 PM on April 5, 2004