The trend towards self-identification of the middle-class and intend for demonstration of its peculiarity make the merchants' portraits narrative and didactic. The sitter is not just the hero who deserves admiration but he presents the model to follow. Thus the merchants' portraits lack the minor details of every-day life. The haircuts, garments, decoration with medals, rosary, letters in the hands of the sitters and even some features of their appearance become the signs of corporate membership. They are no more the individual attributes but become canonical social symbols, migrating from one painting to another. However by mid-XIX century the merchants class gradually changed.