Personalised Father’s Day gifts with a portrait at their heart
His dogs painted like a Landseer, his farm like a Constable, his study like a Carl Larsson watercolour: twelve masterworks to give as prints or turn into a portrait from your own photo.
Fathers in old paintings are rarely posed with their children. They are by the fire, at the river with a rod, in their study, out with the dogs. That is a useful clue for Father’s Day: the best gift is about the things he loves doing.
Some of the twelve masterworks below are the starting points of Fable’s portrait styles, so you can send a photo of him, his dogs or his house and see a free preview. The others are prints of men at their happiest: fishing, smoking a pipe, reading in a room full of books.
1. Self-Portrait with a Black Dog
Gustave Courbet, Self-Portrait with a Black Dog, 1842. Oil on canvas. Petit Palais, Paris.
Courbet at 23, resting on a hillside with his black spaniel and his pipe. If dad goes nowhere without the dog, this is his portrait.
Best photo: dad sitting outside with the dog beside him.
Create your portrait in this style
2. Portrait of Guidobaldo II della Rovere
Agnolo Bronzino, Portrait of Guidobaldo II della Rovere, 1531. Oil on canvas. Palazzo Pitti, Florence.
Bronzino’s young Duke of Urbino wears full armour and rests a hand on his dog. A splendidly grand way to tease a father who likes to be in charge.
Best photo: dad standing, one hand on the dog.
Create your portrait in this style
3. Hector, Nero, and Dash with the parrot, Lory
Edwin Landseer, Hector, Nero, and Dash with the parrot, Lory, 1838. Oil on canvas.
Landseer painted Queen Victoria’s pets in 1838: the deerhound Hector, the greyhound Nero, the spaniel Dash on a red cushion, and Lory the parrot. If dad has more than one animal, this style was made for him.
Best photo: all the pets together, or separate clear photos of each.
Create your portrait in this style
4. A Terrier by a Rabbit Hole
George Earl, A Terrier by a Rabbit Hole, Late 19th century. Oil on canvas. Cooper Gallery, Barnsley.
George Earl painted sporting dogs at work. This terrier waits by a rabbit hole with complete concentration: every terrier owner knows the look.
Best photo: the dog sitting outdoors, looking at something off camera.
Create your portrait in this style
5. The Valley Farm
John Constable, The Valley Farm, 1835. Oil on canvas. Tate, London.
Constable painted the Valley Farm, Willy Lott’s house on the River Stour, again and again, and this 1835 version is the grandest. The style made from it paints his own house or farm the same way.
Best photo: the house among trees, taken from across the garden or field.
Create your portrait in this style
6. Still Life: A Banqueting Scene
Jan Davidsz de Heem, Still Life: A Banqueting Scene, ca. 1640–41. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Jan Davidsz de Heem’s banquet is a feast: ripe fruit, a great pie, silver cups knocked over mid-meal. The style made from it paints dad’s own table, wine or treasures in the same glow.
Best photo: his favourite bottle and glasses on a table, lit from the side.
Create your portrait in this style
7. Daddy's Room. From A Home
Carl Larsson, Daddy's Room. From A Home, 1899. Watercolour. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
Carl Larsson’s own room at Sundborn, painted for his book A Home: a curtained bed, red bookshelves, a place to read and think. Every father wants a room like this.
For the reader; it suits a study perfectly.
8. Crayfishing. From A Home
Carl Larsson, Crayfishing. From A Home, 1899. Watercolour. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
Larsson’s family catching crayfish at the lake in August, the most Swedish of summer pleasures. A picture of the days fathers remember for the rest of their lives.
For a father who loves summers at the lake.
9. Autumn Landscape with Man Fishing
William Morris Hunt, Autumn Landscape with Man Fishing, 19th century. Oil on canvas, now mounted on aluminum. Harvard Art Museums.
William Morris Hunt painted a man fishing alone on an autumn river, the trees mirrored in the water. It is a picture of complete peace.
The obvious, perfect gift for a fisherman.
10. Fishing Boats at Choshi
Katsushika Hokusai, Fishing Boats at Choshi, c. 1833/34. Colour woodblock print. Art Institute of Chicago.
Hokusai’s fishing boats fight the surf at Choshi, from his series One Thousand Pictures of the Ocean. All blue and white, and all energy.
For the sailor or sea fisherman.
11. The Brierwood Pipe
Winslow Homer, The Brierwood Pipe, 1864. Oil on canvas. Cleveland Museum of Art.
Winslow Homer painted two Union soldiers in camp in 1864, one patiently carving a pipe. It is a picture about craft and companionship, for a father who makes things with his hands.
Warm browns and blues for a workshop, den or study.
12. Old Man Lighting a Pipe
Johann Carl Loth, Old Man Lighting a Pipe, c. 1660. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago.
Johann Carl Loth painted an old man lighting his pipe around 1660, his face lit only by the flame. It has all the drama of Caravaggio and the warmth of a quiet evening.
For a grandfather, or a father with a fondness for the old ways.
Choose the thing he loves most, and the masterwork that fits it. If it has a portrait style, send a photo and see the free preview; if not, the print alone will do the talking.
Questions
What is a good personalised Father’s Day gift?
A portrait of his dog, his house or himself made from a photo. If he has a hobby, a print of a masterpiece about it, such as fishing or reading, also makes a thoughtful gift.
Can I combine dad and his dog in one portrait?
Yes. Styles such as Courbet’s Self-Portrait with a Black Dog and Bronzino’s Guidobaldo della Rovere are made for a person and a dog together.
How quickly can I get a portrait for Father’s Day?
The free preview takes minutes. A digital portrait arrives as soon as it is ready; printed portraits need several working days for printing and delivery.