Portraits and Self Portraits have historically given artists the unique opportunity to represent a subject's likeness, portraying the qualities of the sitter and painting a narrative through composition and symbolism. 

First seen in ancient Egypt, portraits have always been a way of telling a story about the sitter along with their social status, wealth, and beauty, sometimes incorporating socio-political statements and satire. Traditionally they flattered the subject of the portrait, idealizing their beauty to maintain an image of power, but with the passing of time, depictions became more realistic, embracing the imperfections. Here is a curation of our favourite PE portraits.