Why Do Men Wear Suits? A Turbo Visual Ride Through Time (1450 – 1900)
Several artists throughout history have attempted to portray the essence of a gentleman with intuitive brush strokes and exquisite mixes of subtle and bold colors, as well as through the photography of the late 1800s.
Today we pause for a moment to take a look at a few valiant works that portray this essence of a gentleman through paintings and photography from 1450 – 1900. All of the artists have aptly entitled each painting: “Portrait of a Gentleman”.
1450 - Portrait of a Gentleman by Andrea del Castagno, a landmark Italian portraiture, with the gentleman’s right hand clutching the long end of a hood worn over the shoulder. Source: Wiki Paintings
1512 - Portrait of a Gentleman by Bartolomeo Venet0 (1502 – 1546), Italy. Veneto is said to inspired by DeVinci
1555 - Portrait of a Young Gentleman by Tintoretto, whose real name was Jacopo Comin (1518 – 1594). For his notable energy, he was also known as II Furioso, Source: 1st Art Gallery and Wikipedia
1730 - Portrait of a Gentleman by Vittore Ghislandi (1655 – 1743), who trained in Milan during the post-medieval Baroque period. Source: see below
1742 - Another Portrait of a Gentleman, by Vittore Ghislandi (1655 – 1743) Source: Web Gallery of Art
1809 - Portrait of a Gentleman by an unknown artist Source: Lemon Tea and Earwig Biscuits
1850 (estimated) - Portrait of a Gentleman by William John Wilgus (1819 – 1853), also known for his works of Ichabod Crane and The Headless Horseman Source: Oxford Gallery
1888 (estimated) - ”The Czarevitch”. Nicholas Romanov of Russia (1868-1918), a few years before he ascended the throne in 1894 as Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia Source: J Cosmas Vintage Photography
1890s - Carte De Viste, Two Gentleman of Stavanger Source: infomercantile.com
The Year 1900 - Gentleman Wearing a Top Hat, by Max Platz, Chicago Source: art.com
Filed under: bespoke, Fashion, Men's Fashion, men's style, menswear
