Silhouette artist, Ella Lancaster, sketching profile of child

Silhouette artist, Ella Lancaster, had an information sheet on Saturday about silhouettes and their history. It gives the following background on silhouettes:

The Art of “SILHOUETTE-ING”

Although the origins of silhouettes go back to the mid 1700’s, silhouettes as an art form seem to go in and out of fashion. The term gets its name from the then Minister of Finance in France, Etienne de Silhouette. It seems that this gentleman was noted for strict economy, which any student of French history could well understand. In mockery of his parsimonious attitude, the French court took to wearing the plainest clothes; plain wooden snuff boxes replaced the jeweled ones usually carried; and, to save the cost of oil paints needed for a portrait, the picture was drawn in profile only, the outline of the subject’s face being filled in with solid color. “A la Silhouette” became the phrase for this type of mock economy. The minister would no doubt be astounded to learn that his fame lies not in his service as a financial wizard, but rather as a name applied to an artistic endeavor.

There are several ways in which a silhouette can be made. The easiest way is to throw a shadow of the subject on the wall, using a bright light, and tracing the outline produced on a piece of paper. This outline can then be filled in with a solid color, or cut from a piece of black paper. Similarly, an object can be placed on a sheet of white paper, the outline drawn and the resulting shape filled in with color.

Many silhouette makers today rely on their artistic skills and simply draw a profile of their subject freehand on a piece of white paper, and, holding a piece of black paper behind the white, cut around their outline with sharp scissors, thus producing a perfect black silhouette.

Small children are the most popular models for this type of picture, as shown in these examples:

Ella Lancaster, silhouette artist

Related pages:

http://www.schs.ws/schs2/sappington-house-silhouette-story-time-photos/

http://www.schs.ws/schs2/get-silhouette-of-your-child-saturday/

http://www.schs.ws/schs2/silhouettes-for-family-memories-second-session-saturday/