Antebellum Portraiture January 24, 2010

Antebellum literally means "before the war," and it refers to the time before the Civil War. During this era, Southern plantation owners and merchants profited from fertile land, cheap labor and prosperous trade. A wealthier economy promoted a common focus on the importance of one's social status. Prior to the era of photography, the physical appearance and social status of a person or a family could be forever memorialized in painted form. As a result, portraits became the most popular forms of artwork among those who could afford to pay for them.