33 Portraits of Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor is the object of much fascination, literary and otherwise. Her stories alone would be enough to fixate on—they are dark wonders, grotesque, sardonic, and often transcendent, despite many arguments in favor of their unrelenting bleakness. But she was also a devout Catholic, which at first seems discordant but soon fits in with her gothic sense of humor. But she also, in her twenties, ordered a set of peafowl in the mail, and proceeded to raise some 100 of them before her death from lupus 54 years ago. And then there’s the fact that at five years old, she taught a chicken to walk backwards.

What I’m saying is: you could easily become obsessed with Flannery O’Connor. You could easily decide to paint her portrait, or collage her face, or make a Flannery O’Connor doll from felt. I would understand and celebrate any of these actions. I would also collect them for others to enjoy. And so, behold: a woefully incomplete but still delightful collection of portraits of Flannery O’Connor, from professional editorial illustrations, to portraiture currently for sale, to simple fan art. Enjoy.

Flannery O’Connor by Mary Bergherr

Flannery O’Connor portrait on the cover of Revelation and Convergence: Flannery O’Connor and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (artist unknown)

Flannery O’Connor by Amanda Atkins

Flannery O’Connor by Tullio Pericoli, 1991

Flannery O’Connor by Richard Merkin

Flannery O’Connor by Natalie Nelson, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Katherine Sandoz, from the Non-Fiction Gallery show “Southern Discomfort”

Flannery O’Connor by Maria Forde

Flannery O’Connor by Karin Hagen

Flannery O’Connor by Chris Cook

Flannery O’Connor by Elizabeth McNair, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Nancy Douglas

Flannery O’Connor by June Glasson for FSG

Flannery O’Connor by Diana Shafer

Flannery O’Connor by Sharon McGill

Flannery O’Connor by Ashley Anderson, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Dan Murdoch, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Matt Rota

Flannery O’Connor by Travis Ekmark, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Lil Copan

Flannery O’Connor by Melinda Hagman

Flannery O’Connor by Brooke Hatfield, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Kerry Stavely

Flannery O’Connor by Abigail Halpin

Flannery O’Connor by Debbie Ritter

Flannery O’Connor by Christine Ernest, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Lauren Pope

Flannery O’Connor by Bill Morris

Flannery O’Connor by an unknown artist; photo by Billy Craven

Flannery O’Connor by Rebecca Bowen, as published in the O’Connor portrait zine Scale Highly Eccentric

Flannery O’Connor by Kevin Christy

Finally: is self-fan-art a thing? I think so. Flannery O’Connor’s self-portrait, painted in 1953.

And just for fun, here’s Flannery O’Connor sitting underneath her self-portrait, where it hung in her home. Photo by Joe McTyre via Michigan Quarterly Review