Portraits of Past

{{Short description|American hardcore punk band}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Portraits of Past

| image =

| caption =

| image_size =

| background = group_or_band

| alias =

| origin = San Francisco, California, U.S.

| genre = {{hlist|Post-hardcore|{{nowrap|hardcore punk}}|screamo|emo}}

| years_active = 1993–1995, 2008–2009, 2025 (reunion)

| label = Ebullition Records, Positively Punk Records, Excursions Into The Abyss

| associated_acts = Funeral Diner, Bellavista, Nexus Six, Seventeen Queen, The Audience, Vue, Who Calls So Loud

| website = [http://www.portraitsofpast.com Official Website]

| Last_Line-Up =

| past_members = Robert Pettersen
Jonah Buffa
Rex John Shelverton
Matthew Martin Bajda
Aaron Lee Schlieve
Jeremy Bringetto
Daniel Fenton

}}

Portraits of Past is an American post-hardcore band from the San Francisco Bay Area that existed roughly from 1994–1995.[http://www.portraitsofpast.com/#History (A very short bio on their official website.)] The genre of music that they helped create is often described as "screamo," though that term was not used at the time the band was active. As Kent McClard recounts on the Ebullition website, the band's popularity grew only a couple of years after their demise at the end of 1995.[http://www.ebullition.com/catalog32.html (Information on the Portraits of Past records that Ebullition released.)]

Former members of the band later formed other projects such as Nexus Six, Seventeen Queen, The Audience, Funeral Diner, Vue, Bellavista and …Who Calls So Loud.

Portraits of Past played a number of reunion shows in the second half of 2008. A new song was played at two California and two New York shows. Of the new song, lead vocalist Rob Pettersen has said, "We are not sure if other songs will be written or how/if we will release it/them. Nothing is ruled out, however… "[http://www.imposemagazine.com/mag/index.php/2008/08/06/tinnitus-ten-years-on-3-portraits-of-past-reunite/ (Impose Magazine)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815222036/http://www.imposemagazine.com/mag/index.php/2008/08/06/tinnitus-ten-years-on-3-portraits-of-past-reunite/ |date=2008-08-15 }}

New material did eventually surface on an EP, Cypress Dust Witch, which was released by Excursions Into The Abyss on October 20, 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.portraitsofpast.com/2009/09/portraits-of-past-new-ep-available-for.html |title=new EP - available for US preorder |publisher=Portraits of Past |date=2009-09-21 |accessdate=2013-04-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020041413/http://www.portraitsofpast.com/2009/09/portraits-of-past-new-ep-available-for.html |archivedate=2013-10-20 }}

In 2025, Portraits of Past announced reunion shows in California, stating that shows on the East Coast are a possibility.https://www.brooklynvegan.com/portraits-of-past-are-back-playing-la-fest-with-other-reunited-screamo-bands-kind-of-like-spitting-more/ They also reissued their eponymous album shortly after announcing the reunion.https://www.instagram.com/p/DFmnMviTdI-/?igsh=amJmbG1zeWh5OG9p