I know this is a digitized collection, but the original way 19th century silhouettes were created was pretty interesting and as most would think pretty simple . They were created by cutting out the outline of a person's profile from black paper, and then mounting the cut-out onto a contrasting background. :)
But all silliness aside, silhouette portraits were a popular alternative to more expensive painted portraits and were especially popular in the United States during the early 19th century. They were also used as a way of creating a memento of loved ones, especially those who were far away or had passed away.
The process of creating silhouette portraits was relatively simple and required only a few materials, including black paper, scissors, and a light source. The subject would sit or stand in front of the light source, and the artist would trace their profile onto the paper before cutting it out.
Still had this tab open today (in typical tab hoarding fashion), and saw no one else commented. So just wanted to say thanks for sharing this fun fact. I learned something new, and started going down a rabbit hole yesterday because of you!
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[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 28.7 ms ] threadBut all silliness aside, silhouette portraits were a popular alternative to more expensive painted portraits and were especially popular in the United States during the early 19th century. They were also used as a way of creating a memento of loved ones, especially those who were far away or had passed away.
The process of creating silhouette portraits was relatively simple and required only a few materials, including black paper, scissors, and a light source. The subject would sit or stand in front of the light source, and the artist would trace their profile onto the paper before cutting it out.