Venture Studios reveals the origins of the family portrait

The photography franchise recently shared a blog post all about the art of capturing family pictures, and the history of the artform.

Venture Studios, first established in 2000, has since become the UK’s leading family portrait photography network. The photography franchise gets plenty of questions about the craft and its history and, in a recent blog post, Venture Studios took the time to answer a few of those questions. Question one: When did family portraits start?

According to Venture Studios, “Family portraits date back to the early 19th century. [...] By around 1840, photographic skills and techniques had developed sufficiently for commercial studios to produce one-off photographs called daguerreotypes. These were expensive products in folding gilt frames, and beyond the means of most people of that time. But throughout the 19th century, photography continued to evolve and become more accessible.”

Question two: Why did people want family portraits? There were, it seems, four key reasons. The first reason was their affordability compared to family paintings. The second was to represent family history and connect with later generations. The third? Status: “A family portrait was a highly effective way to support your storyline of success”. Fourth and finally, Queen Victoria’s love of photography and portraits inspired many other families to procure their own.

And the third question, which is arguably the most important to this specialist photography network: Do family portraits still have a place in 2021? In the words of Venture Studios, “Most people use social media and in their photo feeds will probably have many examples of family portraits in a variety of informal settings. But the sad thing is that often these photos are viewed a few times then forgotten about.”

Portraits from Venture Studios, on the other hand, can be proudly displayed in the homes of customers for years and years to come, seen and appreciated regularly. Find out more about investing with Venture Studios and becoming a franchisee in the photography network via its profile page, which you’ll discover linked above.