FACES IN PROFILE
Learn about the history of silhouettes and why they’re still a favorite collectible today.
Learn about the history of silhouettes and why they’re still a favorite collectible today.
There are many varieties of silhouettes, from face or full body profiles to children and adults. Etsy seller Christina Gerstner from The White Pepper Vintage has collected them over the years. “I found most of my silhouettes at estate sales or flea markets near my home in Virginia and as far north as central Pennsylvania,” she says. “I’ve always been attracted to the graphic simplicity of a silhouette. Black on white, or vice-versa, can be very appealing, especially when displayed on a colorful wall or a busy background, like floral wallpaper.”
Before the invention of the camera, if you wanted a picture of yourself or a loved one, you would see a silhouette artist. Though photography portraits are now the standard, silhouettes remain a charming and nostalgic way to get a portrait. Karl Johnson, owner of Cut Arts, is one such silhouette artist. “We still do them exactly the same way,” he says. “They are hand cut by looking at the subject.”
AFFORDABLE ART
Paper silhouettes have a long history, beginning in the late 1600s in France. “If you couldn’t afford to have a painting done, you had a silhouette made,” Karl says. They were often called shades or shadow portraits, but the term “silhouette” emerged in the mid1700s, named after the French finance minister, Étienne de Silhouette. At the time, anything inexpensive was called à la silhouette as a derogatory reference to his frugality.
This art form moved to the
American colonies, and silhouette artists became popular all over the East Coast. But they only worked with one type of subject. “Historically, silhouettes were only done for adults,” says Karl. “In Europe, that’s still true. It wasn’t until the 1940s and 1950s that you started to see a turn in cutting children’s silhouettes.”That was, in part, thanks to Walt Disney.