Heritage Portraits

You, painted in the dress of your ancestors.

Send one photo of yourself and pick your heritage. We paint you as a classic oil portrait in the traditional dress of your people, and nothing prints until you approve it.

Create my portraitfrom $29

Digital from $29 · Posters from $39 · Canvas from $69, US shipping included

A smiling man in his sixties in his garden, and the portrait painted from that photo: the same man as a Viking-age Norse chieftain with a fur cloak and a silver brooch, a fjord and a longship behind him, hanging as a large canvas with the snapshot taped beside it
Your photo, made a portrait
  • Likeness checked on every portrait
  • You approve the preview before it prints
  • Money back if we can't get it right
  • Preview in your inbox, usually within a day
  • Printed and shipped from the USA

Before and after

Every portrait starts with a phone photo

Six everyday snapshots, six heritages, each painted in the dress and the painting style of its own era.

Photo
A woman with curly auburn hair at her kitchen table, and her portrait as an early Celtic chieftain with a brat cloak, a silver brooch and a gold torcPortrait · Irish Celtic
Irish Celtic, from a kitchen snapshot
Photo
A man with ginger hair and a beard outdoors, and his portrait in 18th-century Highland clan dress with a belted plaid and bonnet beside a lochPortrait · Scottish Highland
Scottish Highland, from a day out
Photo
A woman with a blonde braid on a balcony, and her portrait in Bavarian Tracht before an alpine valleyPortrait · German
German, from a balcony photo
Photo
An older man with grey hair at a cafe table, and his portrait as a Renaissance Florentine in a velvet doublet and gold chainPortrait · Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance, from a cafe photo
Photo
A young woman laughing at a backyard party, and her portrait in an embroidered china poblana blouse and rebozo in an hacienda courtyardPortrait · Mexican
Mexican, from a party snapshot
Photo
A man with a stubble beard in an autumn park, and his portrait as a 17th-century Polish nobleman in a fur-trimmed kontusz and silk sashPortrait · Polish Noble
Polish Noble, from a walk in the park

On the wall

Made to hang where the family gathers

Thick matte poster paper or stretched canvas, in four sizes. Posters ship rolled, frame not included; canvases arrive ready to hang.

A woman with curly auburn hair at her kitchen table, and her portrait as an early Celtic chieftain with a brat cloak, a silver brooch and a gold torc, on a wall
Irish Celtic, from a kitchen snapshot
A man with ginger hair and a beard outdoors, and his portrait in 18th-century Highland clan dress with a belted plaid and bonnet beside a loch, on a wall
Scottish Highland, from a day out
A woman with a blonde braid on a balcony, and her portrait in Bavarian Tracht before an alpine valley, on a wall
German, from a balcony photo
An older man with grey hair at a cafe table, and his portrait as a Renaissance Florentine in a velvet doublet and gold chain, on a wall
Italian Renaissance, from a cafe photo
A young woman laughing at a backyard party, and her portrait in an embroidered china poblana blouse and rebozo in an hacienda courtyard, on a wall
Mexican, from a party snapshot
A man with a stubble beard in an autumn park, and his portrait as a 17th-century Polish nobleman in a fur-trimmed kontusz and silk sash, on a wall
Polish Noble, from a walk in the park

Yours alone

Made to be passed down

  • Your face, painted from your photo

    The likeness is checked against the photo you send before you ever see it, so what arrives is you, not someone like you.

  • Real dress, not a costume

    Each heritage is painted in the garments, fabrics and colours its people actually wore: Viking-age wool for the Norse, Renaissance velvet for the Italians, lace collars for the Dutch.

  • The two of you, or just you

    Add your partner or a parent and both are painted side by side, each checked for likeness.

How it works

Three steps, about two minutes of your time

  1. Send your photo

    One photo of you with your face in view, straight from your phone, HEIC and all. Pick your heritage and a format, and pay; that starts the painting.

  2. We paint it and check it

    Your portrait is painted from your photo and checked for likeness and for the dress before you see it. When it needs work, a person steps in.

  3. Approve it, then hang it

    The preview lands in your inbox, usually within a day. Approve it or ask for changes. The digital file arrives right after approval; posters and canvases are printed to order in the USA and ship with tracking, usually within a week.

After you pay

What lands in your inbox

Your preview arrives by email, usually within a day. One button approves it, the other asks for changes, and nothing prints until you press the first.

  1. Your portrait arrives by email, before anything is printed.
  2. Approve it with one tap, and the file or the print is on its way.
  3. Or tell us what to change. Changes are free, as often as you need.
The preview email on a phone: the portrait, an Approve button and an Ask for changes button

What it is printed on

Made to last

Printed to order in the USA and shipped from there with tracking.

  • Thick matte poster paper

    Rich inks on a heavy matte sheet, the whole painting edge to edge. It frames like any print and ships rolled in a tube.

  • Gallery-wrapped canvas

    Printed to order on matte canvas and stretched round a 1.25 in frame, the brushwork texture showing through. Ready to hang out of the box.

Our promise

Nothing prints until you say so

Your preview comes by email. Approve it, or tell us what to change and we make another pass.

If we can't get it right after your changes, you get your money back.

For someone, or for you

The gift for the one who tells the family stories

  • Father's Day
  • Mother's Day
  • A birthday
  • Retirement
  • Christmas
  • St Patrick's Day
  • An anniversary
  • For yourself

Good to know

Questions

Which photo works best?

One clear, well-lit photo of you with your face in view, no sunglasses. Photos from your phone are fine. We delete your uploaded photos within 30 days of your order completing.

Which heritages can I choose?

Norse (Viking age), Irish Celtic, Scottish Highland, German, Italian Renaissance, Polish Noble, Mexican, Ukrainian Cossack, Ancient Greek, Dutch Golden Age, Norwegian and Swedish, with more on the way. Pick the one you are proud of; you don't need a DNA test or a family tree to order.

Is it my actual family's clothing?

It is the traditional dress of the heritage you pick, from its best-known era: from the Viking age and ancient Greece to the Renaissance, the Dutch Golden Age and the folk dress of the 1800s, painted as accurately as we can. It is an artistic portrait, not a record of what your own ancestors wore.

Is it painted by a person or by AI?

The portrait is made by our AI in the style of a classic oil painting, from your photo. Every portrait is checked for likeness before you see it, a person steps in when it needs work, and you approve the result before anything prints.

How long does it take?

Your preview lands usually within a day. The digital file is emailed the moment you approve. Posters and canvases are printed to order in the USA and ship with tracking, usually within a week of your approval, and most US addresses have them a few days after that.

Do I pay before I see the preview?

Yes. Paying is what starts the painting, and the preview follows usually within a day. Nothing prints and no file goes out until you approve it, and if we can't get the portrait right after your changes, you get your money back.

Can I change something I do not like?

Yes, as often as you need, at no extra cost. When your preview arrives, approve it or tell us what to fix; we make another pass and send a fresh preview.

Can two of us be in it?

Yes. Add a second person at the photo step for $15 and send a clear photo of each of you. Both faces are checked for likeness.

What are the posters and canvases printed on?

Posters are thick matte poster paper, 12 x 18 or 16 x 24 in, unframed, rolled in a protective tube. Canvases are matte canvas stretched over a 1.25 in frame, 12 x 16 or 16 x 20 in, ready to hang. Both are printed to order in the USA and ship free anywhere in the US.

What if the print arrives damaged?

Email us a photo of the damage within 30 days of delivery and we print and ship a replacement at no charge.

Can I send it as a gift?

Yes. Order with the photo you have; the preview goes only to the email you give us, so the surprise holds. For a print, enter their address at checkout and it ships straight to them.

Where do you ship?

Posters and canvases are printed in the USA and ship anywhere in the US, shipping included; we don't ship prints outside the US yet. The digital file goes everywhere.

How do I reach a person?

Email support@motorportraits.art and a person answers. If you have one, include the order reference from your confirmation email.

Your photos are safe

  • Uploaded over an encrypted connection
  • Deleted within 30 days of your order completing
  • Used only to make your portrait, never sold

Your story, on the wall.

Digital from $29 · Posters from $39 · Canvas from $69, US shipping included

Create my portraitfrom $29

Likeness checked on every portrait · You approve the preview before it prints · Money back if we can't get it right · Preview in your inbox, usually within a day · Printed and shipped from the USA