NPS
National
Portrait Service Est. 1832 · Office of the Registrar
National Portrait Service · Est. 1832

The official record of A Portrait.
A Legacy.

For nearly two centuries, the National Portrait Service has created formal hand-painted portraits for families, individuals, estates, and companions — and preserved a permanent archive record for each. The portrait is delivered to you. The record endures.

Begin an Inquiry I Have an Authorization Code
Your portrait is delivered to you. The National Portrait Service preserves the official archive record — not the physical painting. What does the archive contain?
Standards of the Service

What We Do

Every commission follows the same formal procedure, as it has since 1832. A hand-painted portrait, properly documented, delivered to the client, and preserved in the permanent record.

Hand-Painted

Each portrait is an original oil painting on canvas by a commissioned artist. No prints, no reproductions, no facsimiles.

Documented

Every commission receives a permanent archive entry: subject, medium, dimensions, artist, date, and record number.

Delivered

The finished portrait is delivered to the client for display in the home, estate, office, or private collection.

Preserved

The archive record is maintained by the Registrar's Office indefinitely. Records do not expire. They do not disappear.

Established 1832

An Institution
of Record

The National Portrait Service was established in 1832 under formal charter as the authoritative institution for commissioned portraiture in the American tradition. In the nearly two centuries since, it has operated without interruption — through changes of government, through periods of war and peace, through the full arc of American history — maintaining the same formal standards that defined its founding.

The portrait itself belongs to the client. The record belongs to the archive. Both endure.

About the Service
Archive ledger — National Portrait Service
Registrar's signature Certificate of commission
Formal Procedure

The Commission Process

A measured, seven-stage procedure from initial inquiry through delivery and permanent archive record — unchanged in its essential form since the Service's founding.

1

Inquiry

Submit a commission request with subject and preferences.

2

Authorization

A formal record code is assigned and mailed to you.

3

Reference

You submit clear reference photographs via the portal.

4

Assignment

A portrait artist is selected and the work begins.

5

Painting

Your portrait is executed by hand in oils on canvas.

6

Delivery

The finished portrait is inspected and delivered to you.

7

Record

The Registrar seals the archive entry. The record is permanent.

Read the Full Process
Categories of Commission

What We Paint

The Service accepts four formal categories of commission, each governed by the same standards and procedure.

Family Portraits

Multi-subject compositions for families of any size — from intimate two-subject works to full household portraits spanning generations.

Individual Portraits

Single-subject formal portraits. Head and shoulders, half-length, or full-length — for personal display, professional settings, or private collections.

Residence Portraits

Architectural subjects: the family home, the country estate, the lake house, or any property of significance. Painted with the same formal rigor.

Companion Portraits

Formal portraits of beloved animals. Treated with the same care, procedure, and permanent archive record as any commission.

Recent Commissions

From the Archive

Selected records from recent commissions. All physical portraits have been delivered to their clients. The archive preserves the record.

Family Portrait — Commission Record 2026-021
Commission Record · 2026-021

Family Portrait

Oil on canvas · 30 × 40 in. · Delivered to client.

Archive Sealed
Gentleman Portrait — Commission Record 2026-026
Commission Record · 2026-026

Gentleman Portrait

Oil on canvas · 24 × 30 in. · Delivered to client.

Archive Sealed
Coastal Residence — Commission Record 2026-025
Commission Record · 2026-025

Coastal Residence

Oil on canvas · 36 × 48 in. · Delivered to client.

Archive Sealed
View the Full Archive
Standards of Production

Every Detail Inspected

Before delivery, each portrait is reviewed against the commission specifications. Frame, brushwork, artist signature, and archive plaque are verified by the Registrar's Office.

Frame inspection Brushwork detail Artist signature Archive plaque
Ready to Commission

Begin a Portrait

Submit an inquiry to the Registrar's Office. A representative will respond within two business days with your formal authorization and next steps.

Submit an Inquiry View the Archive