Four Family Portraits

Four Family Portraits by Jean–Auguste–Dominique Ingres (French, 1780–1867) offers a compelling example of the master draftsman’s output in the relatively nascent field of printmaking. Executed in 1815, this composite work consists of four separate bust-length portraits printed together on a single sheet of ivory wove paper. The medium employed is lithography in black ink, a technique Ingres used sparingly, but which demonstrates his characteristic precision and neoclassical clarity when transferred to the stone.

The year 1815 marks a transitional period for France and for Ingres's career, positioning him firmly within the traditions of French art while he was actively working in Rome. Unlike his grand history paintings or highly finished oil portraits, this series of prints serves as a more direct and intimate record of the sitters. The sharp delineation and economy of line evident in the four likenesses reflect the influence of Ingres’s mentor, Jacques-Louis David, even as the artist was beginning to develop his own distinct psychological depth in his portraiture.

As a print, this piece underscores why lithography quickly became the preferred method for reproducing drawings and graphic works throughout the 19th century, allowing the artist's hand to translate directly to the medium. Ingres, a prolific draftsman, utilized such studies extensively. This rare example of his print work, classified as a cultural artifact from France, is significant for tracing the evolution of his visual approach outside of painting.

This piece is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, contributing to the museum’s comprehensive holdings of 19th-century European graphic arts. Works by the artist, 1780–1867, are foundational to understanding the trajectory of Neoclassicism, and access to such high-quality early prints is essential for scholars and enthusiasts studying images made available in the public domain.