Oscar Wilde - Napoleon Sarony Art Print

$20USD
  • Printed in USA, UK, EU & AUS
  • Archival grade fine art paper and canvas
  • Giclée printing stays vibrant up to 100 years
  • FSC® paper & wood + non-toxic pigment inks

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Oscar Wilde, photographed by Napoleon Sarony in 1882, arrives in this albumen silver print as pure self-constructed argument. The young writer, twenty-seven and newly landed in New York for his celebrated American lecture tour, reclines across a fur-draped settee as though posing for posterity — which, of course, he was.

Velvet jacket with broad decorative lapels, knee breeches, dark hose: each garment a dispatch from the Aesthetic Movement's war on bourgeois dress. One hand props his temple in studied languor; the other holds a pamphlet with the offhand assurance of a man who has already decided his opinions are worth printing.

Sarony's painted botanical backdrop dissolves into sepia-bistre warmth behind him, the diffused studio light casting no harsh judgment. This carte-de-visite-scale celebrity portrait made Wilde's face as reproduced as his wit — a landmark in the history of literary self-fashioning, where the artist's persona became the primary artwork.

Origin Story

Napoléon Sarony (1821–1896) is the flamboyant grandfather of American celebrity photography, a man who turned Broadway’s stars into collectible icons and himself into a fixture of 19th-century New York society. Born in Quebec, trained in lithography, he sharpened his craft with Currier & Ives before abandoning the press for the camera. After a stint abroad, he returned to Manhattan, opening a legendary Union Square studio where he staged actors, generals, and literary lions with theatrical flair. His portraits of Sarah Bernhardt, Mark Twain, and Oscar Wilde defined visual culture, and his lawsuit over Wilde’s likeness helped secure copyright protection for photography itself.

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Art Print or Canvas?
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Product information

Framed Art Prints

How to Hang your Artwork

1. Vertical

Use the sawtooth hanger at the top middle on the back of the frame and hang it on a single screw or nail.

How to Hang your Artwork

2. Horizontal

Hang the two sawtooth hangers on two screws or nails at the same heightPut two screws or nails in the wall at the same height, spaced the same distance apart as the two sawtooth hangers, then hang your print on them.

How to Hang your Artwork

Framed Canvas

How to Hang your Artwork

1. D-rings (most secure)

Screw a D-ring onto the back of the frame on the left and right, both at the same height. A ruler helps here. Then put two screws in the wall where you want your canvas, level with each other and spaced the same distance apart as the D-rings. A spirit level makes this easier. Finally, hook the D-rings onto the screws.

How to Hang your Artwork

2. Straight onto screws

Keep it simple: put two screws in the wall at the same height and rest the inner lip at the top of the back of the frame on them.

How to Hang your Artwork

1. Cost

Free shipping to Continental USA, Canada, UK, EU, AUS, NZ & more: see full list here.

2. Produced on Demand

Printed after you purchase at print labs across the USA, UK, EU & AUS. Produced, quality checked, packed with care and handed to trusted shipping carriers within 72-96 hours on average.

3. Production + Shipping =

USA: 4-9 days • Canada: 5-12 days • UK: 4-9 days • EU: 5-10 days • AUS: 4-9 days • NZ: 5-12 days • Rest of the world: 3-4 weeks

4. Shipped with Love

Every package tracked from A to B to You.
Sent carbon neutral at no extra charge.
Peace of mind your money's being kind.

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30 Day Returns

1. You're welcome to open a return / exchange request within 30 days of your order's delivery. All items for return must be delivered back in their original condition, with their original packaging included.

2. No guarantees your return will be approved if you send items back before the approval of your return request.

3. No returns, refunds or exchanges on discounted or sale items.

Read the step-by-step returns process.

Fine Art Prints

True-to-life colors for a hundred years of daydreams

Ships in 2-4 days
Velvety matte art paper
Heavyweight 200gsm fine art paper. Smooth, clean finish. Naturally white tone. Acid-free to resist yellowing and deterioration.
Classic wood frames
Chevron-cut frame made from solid FSC®-certified sustainable wood. Ultra-clear Perspex glazing. Delivered ready to hang.
3 framing styles
Framed art prints can be shipped with no border, a slim border, or set in a classic acid-free mat. Museum-quality, however you style it.

Framed Canvas

Alive with multidimensional shadows, highlights and contrasts

Ships in 2-4 days
Artist-grade cotton canvas
38mm cotton canvas, ideal for photography, reproductions and impactful graphics. Luxurious, matte surface delivers depth and detail with outstanding clarity.
Premium float frames
The thin frame sits slightly away from the edge of the canvas, creating an elegant, gallery-worthy floating border.
Care in every detail
Canvas stretched over FSC®-certified, knot-free European pine. Milled with a curved profile to prevent pressure marks and surface cracks.

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