Not all portraits of children were post-mortem reminders, however.
Parents of means often sought portraits of their children as decorative items that frequently reflected the family's social position.
Charles Octavious Cole (1817-1858) painted this portrait of James Clark Burnham (1843-1930), son of a leading Portland family.
The setting as well as the boy's clothing and posture all are signs of the family's wealth and status.
