The development of photography in the 19th century had a significant effect on portraiture, supplanting the earlier camera obscura which had also been previously used as an aid in painting.
Opfindelsen af fotografiet i det 19. århundrede fik afgørende betydning for portrætmaleriet, og det erstattede det tidligere camera obscura, som hidtil var blevet anvendt som hjælpemiddel ved portrætmaleriet.