Contrary to contemporary perceptions, the use of portraits for personal promotion is not a new phenomenon but a tradition that can be traced back hundreds of years. Similarly, the desire to know what someone looks like has long existed. But how does this need arise? How is the connection between celebrities and their faces formed?
This project examines how printed portraits were produced, marketed, sold, distributed, and used in Sweden and Europe during the late 18th century—a time when what we today call “the celebrity” emerged. I will study the HAB portrait collection, along with the catalog of graphic portraits, as well as newspapers and other written sources from the period that provide insights into the distribution and use of printed portraits.
The HAB portrait collection, particularly that of the jurist Carl Gesenius (1746–1829), will be compared to the collection of the Swedish bank commissioner Fredrik Silverstolpe (1732–1812), which is the largest of its kind in Sweden. This comparison aims to deepen our understanding of portrait-collecting practices in the late 18th century while also shedding light on the distribution and production of printed portraits. Ultimately, the project seeks to contribute to our knowledge of the era’s celebrity and image culture.
