How it works:

• Select a historically significant building. In some cases, it may even be a historic structure that is no longer with us. If it was a well-known and beloved building, it can remind people of the urgency of protecting those buildings that still exist
• Contact me, Jean Steinhardt, an artist who has specialized in house portraits for 30 years
• We will discuss the best way to represent the building, including such things as the best angle, features of particular interest, and appropriate landscape features
• Once we have agreed on details, I will draw a house portrait for my usual fee
•  The licensing fee for Historic Preservation Societies is a remarkably low $100 / year for the first three years

When you accept the final drawing, I will provide specific tips on ways to use the image to promote your goals.

 For example:

• Logo. Incorporate the image into your logo and use the logo on everything pertaining to your society’s activities … Web pages, stationery, invoices, receipts, greeting cards, business cards, and more.
• CaféPress store. Has the advantage of not requiring you to carry inventory of items for sale. Use the image in conjunction with the name and Web address of your society. Click here for an example of an actual CafePress store
• Your own online store. You manage your own inventory. Has the advantage of a potentially greater profit margin
• Press releases. Write and distribute press releases to local and national media. Press releases work best when they highlight something that will interest the average reader of a given media outlet. The commissioning of a house portrait and the strategy intended for its use makes for a very interesting press release
• Promotion. Send emails and promotional letters to your membership and to people targeted for membership. Use the logo on all such promotions. Highlight the way in which the house portrait was commissioned, and why it was created. Encourage people to support your mission by purchasing gift items from your online store.

If you have a publicist, I welcome that person to contact me to brainstorm other possible uses of the image to further your mission of preserving the past to enhance the future.