Providing visual images depicting celebrities of the day was one of the most important functions of the graphic arts. Early images were iconographic- merely representing a name from history or literature with an image. Subsequent portraiture became increasingly realistic using figures caught in action or posed on-site in full regalia. By the end of the 19th century, individuals could even be recognized when depicted satirically.

Native Americans:
For centuries, the Plain Indians lived undisturbed and relatively isolated in the central part of what is now the United States. The tribes' relative remoteness rapidly changed after the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804 sparked official United States government interest in the West after which the public's interest in Native American Indians grew. Artists trekked to the West to paint images for those unable to make the journey. The most notable of these artists are McKenney and Hall, George Catlin, the German prince Maximilian and Count Buffon, and Karl Bodmer. Though differing in methodology and interest, they were united in the view that Native American culture was quickly changing and was perhaps imperiled by the invasion of an alien Western culture. Whether romanticized, or treated as primitive, they all shared the sense that this was a unique and probably last moment to depict a people before their lives were forever changed.

Vanity Fair
Probably the best-known portraits were featured between 1869-1914 in the weekly periodical, Vanity Fair. Readers of Vanity Fair could learn of the comings and goings of the royal family, enjoy humorous satire, learn the news of the week, and the fashions of the moment. Each issue featured a caricature of a well-known personage. Several artists were employed using different nom de crayon. The most prolific of them was Leslie Ward, known as “Spy;” his caricatures have come to be known as “Spy prints.” Other Vanity Fair artists included Whistler, Tissot, Beerbohm, Nast, Thompson, Furnigs, Gould, and Flagg. At first these comic colored portraits were a popular novelty, but eventually they became a British institution. These images set a style, forming a landmark in the development of mass color lithography and constituting a unique visual record of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In many cases, the Vanity Fair cartoon created the public image of a celebrity. In all, Vanity Fair published some 2,400 cartoons. From 1869 to 1905, the caricatures were printed as original, color lithographs. Each caricature appeared in three versions. First the artist created a watercolor sketch of the subject chosen for the satirical portrait. This cartoon was then transferred to lithographic stones and 20 copies were printed in color as "proofs" without text in order to check the quality of the line and color. The final finished lithograph was printed with text in the weekly magazine. Extra copies were printed and subsequently offered for sale as single prints. In addition, each print was printed again that same year and offered in the Vanity Fair Album for that year - a bound volume containing only the cartoons and their accompanying text. From 1869 to 1873, the lithographs were printed on newsprint in limited color with crossed lines at the corners. In 1874, the black border lines were eliminated, the color enhanced, the quality of the paper improved, and the magazine title and date shown at the top. In 1905, a fire destroyed both the publishing house and the lithographic stones. Subsequently, the printing of Vanity Fair was moved to Holland and from 1905 to 1911 the illustrations were produced on a slick, glossy paper in an offset process. By this time, interest in the magazine had also declined, so there are relatively few copies of cartoons from this period. As the decades ticked by, the caricatures, originally readily available for a few dollars, have become an increasingly scare commodity.