In a time that celebrates beauty and money over so much else, this book is a lesson in elegance, grace, and style. It draws together for the first time in a single volume a sumptuous gallery of portraits dating from the early nineteenth century to World War II. Some are well-known, others unfamiliar, but all capture the spirit of their age, throwing the society that produced them into sharp and vivid relief. "The Society Portrait" offers entertaining anecdotes and intriguing insights into the personalities of both the artists and their patrons, providing a panorama of the settings in which the portraits were created, from French chteaux and English country houses to American mansions and Russian palaces. From David to Ingres, from Sargent to Boldini, from Dali to Warhol, "The Society Portrait" presents a dazzling array of works of art, and discusses them in their art historical and social context in the most elegant and entertaining manner.