Portrait (Harry Potter)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The neutrality or factuality of this article or section may be compromised by weasel words. You can help Wikipedia by improving weasel-worded statements. |
In the Harry Potter books and films, the subjects of magical portraits can move (or simulate motion, at least within the two-dimensional plane of the picture), interact with living observers, speak, and demonstrate apparent emotion and personality. Some can even apparently move to other portraits to visit each other, or to relay messages. Many such portraits are found on the walls of Hogwarts.
At least one portrait, that of the Fat Lady, can perform at least one action with a directly visible effect outside the frame of her painting: she can open the door that is hidden behind her painting, by unknown (presumably magical) means.
It is unknown how the painted portraits come into being: whether they are produced by a painter or brought into existence by other means. Magical photographs with similar properties are created by developing normal (un-magical) film in a magic potion. Thus far in canon, living persons have only been depicted in magical photographs; the author has not revealed to readers if it is possible to produce a painted magical portrait of a living subject.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, soon after the death of Albus Dumbledore, Harry enters the Headmaster's former office to see a portrait depicting his late mentor - as he was prior to death - sleeping peacefully. This would suggest that Dumbledore's painting, at least, magically appeared, and was not painted in any mundane sense. It is however possible that a portrait was produced during Dumbledore's life, and installed in the Headmaster's office upon his demise, per Hogwarts tradition (Portraits in the Headmaster's office).
Contents |
[edit] At Hogwarts
[edit] The Fat Lady
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The Fat Lady | |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair colour | Unknown (Brown in the films and book illustrations) |
| House | Gryffindor |
| Allegiance | Hogwarts |
| Actor | Elizabeth Spriggs / Dawn French |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
The Fat Lady is the guardian of the door to Gryffindor Tower, which is hidden behind her painting. She will open it (sometimes grudgingly) when the correct password is uttered. She is often upset after being awakened. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, she left to visit another portrait in the middle of the night, locking Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville out of Gryffindor Tower. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Fat Lady was attacked by Sirius Black and it was some time before she dared to guard Gryffindor Tower again.
The Fat Lady has no other known name, and even the most polite characters refer to her simply as "the Fat Lady" (or as Dumbledore directly says to her, "dear Lady"). It is unknown whether or not she, like most portraits, is based on a living person — and if so, why she is not referred to by a proper name. In the first film (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) the Fat Lady was played by Elizabeth Spriggs. She did not appear in the second film. In the third film (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) she was played by Dawn French. She did not appear in the fourth film.
[edit] Sir Cadogan
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sir Cadogan | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair colour | White (inferring from his moustache) |
| Allegiance | Hogwarts |
| Actor | Paul Whitehouse (for a brief cameo and a couple of deleted scenes) |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
Sir Cadogan is an eccentric knight who believes himself to be a mighty warrior, shouting at passerbys and challenging them to duels. He appears somewhat ridiculous, being unable to ride his horse and very bad at handling his sword. First appearing when he led Harry, Ron and Hermione through the Astronomy tower to their first Divination class, he guarded Gryffindor Tower during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when the Fat Lady was recovering from her encounter with Sirius Black. Sir Cadogan used complicated passwords that he changed frequently, earning him disrespect amongst the Gryffindors. He was fired after he allowed Sirius Black entry to Gryffindor Tower when Sirius read the whole week's worth of passwords off a list, which was compiled by Neville Longbottom since he was unable to keep track of the frequent changes. According to Chapter 31 of The Goblet of Fire, Sir Cadogan's portrait was already well-known at Hogwarts in Bill Weasley's day. [1]
[edit] Violet
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Violet | |
| Gender | Female |
| Allegiance | Hogwarts |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Violet is a portrait present in the Chamber off the Great Hall where Albus Dumbledore addressed the four Triwizard Champions. She listened to the whole meeting, and then visited the Fat Lady and told her, as well as the other Gryffindor students, all about it. She again visited the Fat Lady at Christmas, when she was nicknamed "Vi", and both women became extremely drunk. They also got drunk at Christmas of 1996, drinking through a vat of 500-year old wine in the painting of monks by the Charms corridor.
[edit] Barnabas the Barmy
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Barnabas the Barmy | |
| Gender | Male |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
Barnabas the Barmy was a misguided wizard who notoriously attempted to teach trolls to dance ballet.[2]According to Chapter Eighteen of The Order of the Phoenix, a tapestry showing one of his attempts is found on a wall directly opposite the door to the Room of Requirement.
[edit] Portraits in the Headmaster's office
The portraits in the Headmaster's office depict all former Headmasters of Hogwarts, who at times act to advise the Headmaster and are sworn to aid him in his duties. They include but are not limited to:
- Phineas Nigellus (Linked to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London)
- Dilys Derwent (Linked to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries)
- Everard (Linked to the Ministry of Magic)
- Fortescue
- Armando Dippet
- Albus Dumbledore (since death in 1997 (HP6))
[edit] Fortescue
This character appeared briefly twice in the Harry Potter Series (HP5 and HP6). He is part of the collection of portraits of former Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts hanging in Dumbledore's office. This particular portrait is described being in the wall behind Dumbledore's desk. Nothing else is known about him, except that he is a "red-nosed corpulent wizard". From his brief appearance, it can be inferred that Fortescue had high ethical standards and was greatly appalled by the corruption of the Ministry of Magic in Harry Potter's days. The former headmaster may be related to Florean Fortescue.
[edit] Walburga Black (Sirius' Mother)
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Walburga Black | |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair colour | Grey and messy |
| Eye colour | Popping and rolling |
| House | Slytherin |
| Parentage | Pure Blood |
| Allegiance | The Black Family |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
The emphatically outspoken portrait of Sirius Black's elderly mother, Walburga Black, is kept in the Black family home at Number 12, Grimmauld Place in London (sometimes behind a thick curtain), and is magically fixed to the wall so that all attempts to remove it have so far been fruitless. Mrs Black was herself deceased at the time of the events in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The portrait has, or accurately portrays, her deep-seated hatred for non-Purebloods, and disapproved of the activities of the Order of the Phoenix taking place in her house. However, the portrait was powerless to influence the living: despite frequently screaming at them to leave her house, they generally ignored her.
[edit] Photographs
Wizarding photographs of people have similar properties to magical painted portraits: the figures within move or even, sometimes, leave. As with the paintings, the images of people in the photographs do not appear to age.
In order for photographs to be Wizarding photographs (that is, in order for them to move), the film from an ordinary (non-magical) camera must be developed in a certain potion. Similar to muggles, witches and wizards sometimes like to keep their photos in attractive albums or scrapbooks, like the one Hagrid made for Harry with photos of the Potters. Moving photos also appear in wizard newspapers and other print media. This is exemplified in The Prisoner of Azkaban when pictures of Sirius Black are printed in The Daily Prophet newspaper. The magazine Witch Weekly also contains pictures of smiling and winking witches.
The images of people in photographs display little sentience or change, often repeating the same brief span of time over and over. The subjects of some photos can leave the photographs, but no indication has been given that they are able to visit or communicate with other photographs, as is the case with their painted counterparts.
[edit] Others
- Portrait of Elfrida Clagg (kept at the Ministry of Magic).
- Portrait in the British Prime Minister's office ("froglike little man wearing a long silver wig"), used by the Ministry of Magic to communicate with the muggle government.
- The kittens painted on china plates, with which Dolores Umbridge decorated the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher's office, also had some ability to move around.
- A physiologically inaccurate painting of a mermaid in the Hogwarts prefect's bathroom (appeared as a stained-glass window in the film).
- Portraits in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
[edit] Portrait Relevance
Magical portraits within canon universally show sentience and sapience, and most display personalities (an exception being those of Gilderoy Lockhart, whose personalities were inadequately displayed). It is unknown, thus far, if they are conscious and self-aware, or are merely enchanted to suggest so. It is also unknown if all portraits seen thus far in canon were once living people (there is no evidence that any were not).
Portraits in canon are often treated impatiently and informally by students, an attitude which they show to no other denizen of their school. This attitude is exhibited outside the school also: in Grimmauld Place, Walburga Black's portrait is ignored, and the Order of the Phoenix is willing to stun other portraits in order to keep them quiet. Portraits are, however, accorded respect by Albus Dumbledore, who takes advice from the portraits depicting former Headteachers in his office. He also speaks to them as he does to mortal humans: he has been shown to be respectful of the Fat Lady, and at one point has a brief moment of conversation with Phineas Nigellus Black.
Authorial statements regarding portraits have been vague. J.K. Rowling made a comment in an interview [1] that a portrait is something like a faint imprint of the person in question, imitating the basic attitude and thought patterns of the person, though less realised than a ghost (ghosts, as Nearly Headless Nick explains, are the souls of wizards who feared to leave the world).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ JK Rowling at the Edinburgh Book Festival. J.K.Rowling Official Web Site (Aug 15, 2004).
