A portrait is an image that usually has a person as the subject, and it informs the viewing audience of something about that person. The portrait utilizes props such as background, clothing, or tools of the subject's trade to indicate who they are. This painting of Marie Antoinette is a textbook example of a portrait.
Jean Baptiste André Gautier Dagot, Portrait de Marie-Antoinette, reine de France, 1775
Decked out in her full royal regalia, there is no question as to her status. Clocking in at 5.25' x 4.2' this painting had to take a good chunk of her and the artists' time. With the modern widespread access to cameras, the process of getting a portrait of one's self is easier than ever. It even removes the barrier of having an artist trying to capture who you are. With over 200,000+ pictures being uploaded to Facebook every minute, your options are limitless in choosing a portrait for yourself. Today, the profile picture you choose is a modern reinterpretation of a portrait painting. People almost always choose a cover photo and profile picture that shows themselves, and tells something about them.
Teagan recently studied abroad in Italy.
Marianne recently studied abroad in India.
Eric recently had an internship at Google.
Carly recently went to Disney World. (with me!)
I recently was a part of the Disney College Program.
This modern interpretation of a portrait allows for much more flexibility. The portraits of today can change as often as you do.
You don't even always have to have an accurate representation of yourself to get your personality through.
This picture is not recent, yet the subject can still use it as a portrait. He updates it to match the time of year, or events he is involved with. This also fulfills the definition of the portrait.
While the concept of the portrait was created many years ago, the simple definition still applies today. As long as you have an image that has a subject and communicates information about that subject, you have a portrait.
