Jerome A. Barhydt

Jerome A. Barhydt is known for Crayon Portraiture, a how-to manual first published in 1892. The book presents detailed instruction for making crayon portraits on crayon paper and on platinum, silver, and bromide enlargements, and it also includes guidance on transparent liquid water colors and making "French crystals."

From the book itself, Barhydt comes across as a practical teacher writing for photographers and amateur artists. In the preface, he describes this volume as a second treatise on the subject, suggesting he had already produced an earlier instructional work and was expanding it for readers who wanted fuller, more complete guidance.

Very little biographical information about Barhydt was easy to confirm from reliable sources retrieved here, so the safest picture is a modest one: he appears in the historical record chiefly through his instructional writing and through the example works reproduced with it. His surviving reputation rests on making a specialized art technique approachable for learners.