Crayon portraits are actually very light photographic portraits that have been rendered over with charcoal or pastels (chalk) to appear to be an artist's portrait. Some were very lightly rendered and some were less skillfully rendered and appear somewhat distorted. These were popular from the 1860s through the turn of the century. They are usually the large 16" x 20" or larger format framed in rectangular or oval frames often commemorating a wedding or an anniversary.
