Thursday, October 2, 2008

Ancestor



This is a silhouette from 1887. The back of it says: Compliments of H. S. Thomas

Santa Cruz, Cal Aug 7 1887

This was a relative of my grandmothers on my Dad's side.

See any family resemblance? Tim? or Joe?

Posted by at

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joe

Thursday, October 02, 2008 8:30:00 PM
Prof said...

Here is some information of this:
The history of paper-cut portraits dates back to the court of Catherine de Medici in the late 16th century in France. This decorative practice, which grew increasingly popular during the second half of the 18th-century, was named for Etienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), Louis XV's widely unliked French finance minister who cut black paper portraits as a hobby. Beginning in the 1700s, silhouette-cutting gained credence as art form in the United States because of its popularity among the aristocracy and haute bourgeoisie. However, by the mid-1800s, “shadow portraits” had lost most of their prestige. Being deemed a craft rather than an art form, secured this portriature technique a place at carnivals and in classrooms devoted to the training of “good ladies.” During the early 20th-century, silhouettes gained favor as sentimental keepsakes and souvenirs at fairs.

Friday, October 03, 2008 3:57:00 PM

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