A Brief History of the Silhouette

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SILHOUETTE Portrait silhouettes became all the rage in fashionable English Society of the Georgian period, when they were known as “shades.” The earliest professional silhouettists were portrait miniaturists, seeking a less- expensive product. Shades were popular as mementos, intended to be given away, and rapidly became an integral part of Georgian society. During Regency times there was an increasing mechanisation of the art, in line with a general enthusiasm for all things modern and scientific. Many artists made use of camera obscura as well as other weird, quixotic, mechanical contraptions. The aim was to capture a likeness automatically - without relying on the skill of a “mere artisan” - a search which eventually culminated in the invention of photography. As shades became cheaper and quicker to make their popularity spread to the New World, where itinerant silhouettists captured some of the only known likenesses of leading settlers in America, using a device known as a physiognotrace. In Britain, the Victorian era saw a rapid decline in the art (contrary to the common perception of silhouettes as a Victorian art). Shades were seen as “old hat” and An Georgian shade, c.1780, fashionable society flocked to painted by John Miers of photographer’s studios instead (many of Strand, London which were run by former silhouettists!) The most notable exception was August Edouart, a French refugee who took up the art to support his large family. He later sailed to America, where he is credited as being the “father of silhouette,” being the first artist there to work exclusively with freehand cutting. His work is highly sought after today, fetching enormous sums at auction, and is featured in the TV documentary “Silhouette Secrets.” Silhouettes experienced a revival between the wars. Nostalgia for a pre-war, pre-technological age gave freehand scissors artists the opportunity they needed to refine their craft. Dai Vernon, the founder of modern close-up magic, made his living for many years as a street silhouettist in major cities all over America. His style is typical of many artists of his age. Today most people never meet a silhouettist, unless they come across Charles Burns (or one of A full length cutting by his colleagues) at a corporate event, or perhaps August Edouart, 1842 visit Disneyland where they seem still popular. www.roving-artist.com Top: painted silhouette by Phelps A signed silhouette by c.1780. Covent Garden, London Dai Vernon, 1931, USA.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Darwin and Doubt and the Response of the Victorian Churches Churchman 100/4 1986
Darwin and Doubt and the Response of the Victorian Churches Churchman 100/4 1986 Nigel Scotland The Bible and Nineteenth Century Christians Although the Victorian Era was seen as one of the high points in the practice of English Christianity, and although outwardly speaking Church attendance remained at a relatively high level, below the surface many people were beginning to express a variety of doubts about the inspiration of the Bible and about points of Christian doctrine which had been cherished for centuries. These doubts stemmed in the main from two sources: discoveries in Science and the development of Biblical Criticism. The former caused men to question the traditional explanation of world origins and the latter brought doubts regarding the traditional doctrine of the inspiration of scripture. The main root of the problem lay in the Churches’ view of the scriptures. The Church in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century held a view of the scriptures which had been taken over from Greek thought in the early Christian centuries and been further reinforced by the Reformation. They thought of God literally breathing the Scripture into the writers of the Biblical documents. The result of this was that the Bible was held to speak authoritatively on all matters whether they related to man’s relationship to God or to the scientific origins of the Universe. The ordinary Christian man and woman in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries regarded the Judaeo-Christian religion as an Historical religion. It concerned the story of God’s historical acts in relation to his people.
[Show full text]
Victorian England and Its Political Reforms
1 9. Victorian England and its Political Reforms VICTORIAN ENGLAND AND ITS POLITICAL REFORMS. Key Words and Related Topics: . The Industrial Revolution . The Age of Revolution (1789 – 1848) . The British Empire . The Chartist Movement . The People’s Charter Temario de la Guía Docente: 5. Aspects of English National Identity: The Monarchy, the Protestant Reformation, and Liberalism.6. The Anglican Church, the Monarchy and Parliament: their historical origin, their evolution and their cultural roles today. 7. The British Empire and the Origins of a Global, English- Speaking Culture. 8. Victorian England and its critics. 9. From the Political Reforms of the 19th Century to the Welfare State. Introduction: To a large extent the history of the English nineteenth century in general, and of Victorian Britain in particular, is the history of gradual and moderate political reforms, which included the important extension of the franchise—among other reasons due to the pressure of revolutionary movements, in the rest of Europe, and at home of phenomena like the chartist movement. Important milestones in this aspect were the Reform Act of 1832. This reform of the political, electoral, and representative system responded to the profound changes that had taken place in England as a result of the growth in population and the rapid process of industrialization. These phenomena had drawn large masses of population into cities like Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool, which experienced a tremendous growth. After the Reform Act of 1832 another significant moment was the Chartist Petition of 1848, which also coincided with revolutionary movements in the rest of Europe: 1848 is an international milestone in what the historian Eric Hobsbawn called the Age of Revolution (which started in 1789 with the French Revolution, and ended in 1848).
[Show full text]
Gladstone and the Bank of England: a Study in Mid-Victorian Finance, 1833-1866
GLADSTONE AND THE BANK OF ENGLAND: A STUDY IN MID-VICTORIAN FINANCE, 1833-1866 Patricia Caernarv en-Smith, B.A. Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2007 APPROVED: Denis Paz, Major Professor Adrian Lewis, Committee Member and Chair of the Department of History Laura Stern, Committee Member Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Caernarven-Smith, Patricia. Gladstone and the Bank of England: A Study in Mid- Victorian Finance, 1833-1866. Master of Arts (History), May 2007, 378 pp., 11 tables, bibliography, 275 titles. The topic of this thesis is the confrontations between William Gladstone and the Bank of England. These confrontations have remained a mystery to authors who noted them, but have generally been ignored by others. This thesis demonstrates that Gladstone’s measures taken against the Bank were reasonable, intelligent, and important for the development of nineteenth-century British government finance. To accomplish this task, this thesis refutes the opinions of three twentieth-century authors who have claimed that many of Gladstone’s measures, as well as his reading, were irrational, ridiculous, and impolitic. My primary sources include the Gladstone Diaries, with special attention to a little-used source, Volume 14, the indexes to the Diaries. The day-to-day Diaries and the indexes show how much Gladstone read about financial matters, and suggest that his actions were based to a large extent upon his reading. In addition, I have used Hansard’s Parliamentary Debates and nineteenth-century periodicals and books on banking and finance to understand the political and economic debates of the time.
[Show full text]
Victorian Values and the Upper Classes
proceedings of the British Academy, 78, 49-60 Victorian Values and the Upper Classes MARK GIROUARD AN article under this title could adopt two radically different approaches. It could deal with the extent to which the Victorian upper classes accepted or rejected a specific group of ‘Victorian Values’, so called because they in some way encapsulated the essence of Victorianism. Or it could be a discussion of all the values which informed the upper classes in the Victorian period. In fact it opts for the second approach. In the welter of sets of values which were to be found at work in different groups and circumstances during the sixty-three years of Victoria’s reign, it seems neither possible nor desirable to try to select one group as quintessentially Victorian. Whereas the values to be found among the Victorian upper classes at least provide a real object of enquiry, even if a far from simple one. It is complex because there is so much variety. What common ground is there, for instance, between the 4th Marquis of Hastings, who wasted his fortune, dissipated his health, and died worn out and near bankrupt at the age of 26 in 1868, and his almost exact contemporary the 2nd Viscount Halifax, politician and pillar of the High Church, who died, reverenced by all, at the age of 93 in 1934. And yet both were, in rather extreme forms, representative of different sections of the High Victorian upper classes. Not only were upper class values varied; they cannot be fitted into a drawer labelled ‘upper class only’, as distinct from middle or lower class values.
[Show full text]
Introduction to Edwardian England
Edwardian Beverley: a snapshot in time How much do you know about the Edwardian era in England? Strictly, it was the time of King Edward VII’s brief reign from 1901 to 1910, but is usually considered to extend up to the start of war in 1914. It is often seen as a ‘golden age’, when the world paused between the busy industrialisation of the Victorians and the chaos of global war, after which life changed forever. However, although the Edwardian period was short it was a time of great change, from social reforms to fashion trends and technological advances. One of the key technological developments of the period was the introduction of Kodak’s Brownie camera in 1900, which enabled everybody to make their own record of their surroundings. There is therefore a wonderful photographic record of life in Beverley from the turn of the century, which we have drawn upon in this exhibition as we attempt to put the town into the context of the wider world. Museum Group Collection Online. Science (Y1988.43.3) Creative Commons Licence. 1900 Box Brownie camera Introduction to Edwardian England Samuel Hynes described the Edwardian era as a “leisurely time when There were significant technological advancements, especially in mass women wore picture hats and did not vote, when the rich were not communication (the first wireless signal across the Atlantic was sent in ashamed to live conspicuously and the sun really never set on the British 1901), leisure and entertainment, particularly with the development of the flag”. This perception of a romantic age of long summer afternoons and cinema.
[Show full text]
Victorian Representations of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU Honors Theses, 1963-2015 Honors Program 2015 Victorian Representations of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I Grace K. Butkowski College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/honors_theses Part of the European History Commons, Political History Commons, and the Women's History Commons Recommended Citation Butkowski, Grace K., "Victorian Representations of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I" (2015). Honors Theses, 1963-2015. 69. https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/honors_theses/69 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses, 1963-2015 by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSB/SJU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Grace Butkowski Victorian Representations of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I The rivalry of Mary, Queen of Scots and her English cousin Elizabeth I is a storied one that has consumed both popular and historical imaginations since the two queens reigned in the sixteenth century. It is often portrayed as a tale of contrasts: on one end, Gloriana with her fabled red hair and virginity, the bastion of British culture and Protestant values, valiantly defending England against the schemes of the Spanish and their Armada. On the other side is Mary, Queen of Scots, the enchanting and seductive French-raised Catholic, whose series of tragic, murderous marriages gave birth to both the future James I of England and to schemes surrounding the English throne.
[Show full text]
JEWELS of the EDWARDIANS by Elise B
JEWELS OF THE EDWARDIANS By Elise B. Misiorowski and Nancy K. Hays Although the reign of King Edward VII of ver the last decade, interest in antique and period jew- Great Britain was relatively short (1902- elry has grown dramatically. Not only have auction 1910), the age that bears his name produced 0 houses seen a tremendous surge in both volume of goods distinctive jewelry and ushered in several sold and prices paid, but antique dealers and jewelry retail- new designs and manufacturing techniques. ers alikereportthat sales inthis area of the industry are During this period, women from the upper- excellent and should continue to be strong (Harlaess et al., most echelons of society wore a profusion of 1992). As a result, it has become even more important for extravagant jewelry as a way of demon- strating their wealth and rank. The almost- jewelers and independent appraisers to understand-and exclusive use of platinum, the greater use of know how to differentiate between-the many styles of pearls, and the sleady supply of South period jewelry on the market. African diamonds created a combination Although a number of excellent books have been writ- that will forever characterize Edwardian ten recently on various aspects of period jewelry, there are jewels. The Edwardian age, truly the last so many that the search for information is daunting. The era of the ruling classes, ended dramatically purpose of this article is to provide an overview of one type with the onset of World War I. of period jewelry, that of the Edwardian era, an age of pros- perity for the power elite at the turn of the 19th century.
[Show full text]
Introduction to Victorian and Twentieth-Century Literature Heesok Chang
Introduction to Victorian and Twentieth-Century Literature Heesok Chang Unlike the preceding three volumes in this Companion to British Literature – the Medieval, Early Modern, and Long Eighteenth Century – the current one attempts to cover at least two distinct periods: the Victorian and the Twentieth Century. To make matters more difficult, the second of these hardly counts as a single period; it is less an epoch than a placeholder. In terms of periodization, the Victorian era is succeeded – or some might say, overthrown – by the Modern. But modernism is not capacious enough to encompass the various kinds of literary art that emerged in Britain following World War II, the postmodern and the postcolonial, for example. We could follow the lead of recent scholars and expand the modernist period beyond the “high” to include the “late” and arguably the “post” as well. But this conceptual as well as temporal expansion does not take in the vital British literature written from the 1970s onward, an historical era distinct from the “postwar” that critics refer to, for now, as the “contemporary” (see English 2006). Of course, all periods are designated after they have finished, including the Victo- rian, which was very much a modernist creation. Yet it is unlikely we will come to call the period stretching from the middle of the last century to the early decades of the new millennium, from the breakup of Britain’s empire to the devolution of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, “Elizabethan.” And this despite the Victo- rian longevity of the Windsor monarch’s reign. The queen is one and the same, but the national culture is anything but.
[Show full text]
Characteristics of Victorian Literature the Style of the Victorian Novel
Characteristics of Victorian Literature The literature of the Victorian age (1837 – 1901, named for the reign of Queen Victoria) entered in a new period after the romantic revival. The literature of this era expressed the fusion of pure romance to gross realism. Though, the Victorian Age produced great poets, the age is also remarkable for the excellence of its prose. The discoveries of science have particular effects upon the literature of the age. If you study all the great writers of this period, you will mark four general characteristics: 1. Literature of this age tends to come closer to daily life which reflects its practical problems and interests. It becomes a powerful instrument for human progress. Socially & economically, Industrialism was on the rise and various reform movements like emancipation, child labor, women’s rights, and evolution. 2. Moral Purpose: The Victorian literature seems to deviate from "art for art's sake" and asserts its moral purpose. Tennyson, Browning, Carlyle, Ruskin - all were the teachers of England with the faith in their moral message to instruct the world. 3. Idealism: It is often considered as an age of doubt and pessimism. The influence of science is felt here. The whole age seems to be caught in the conception of man in relation to the universe with the idea of evolution. 4. Though, the age is characterized as practical and materialistic, most of the writers exalt a purely ideal life. It is an idealistic age where the great ideals like truth, justice, love, brotherhood are emphasized by poets, essayists and novelists of the age.
[Show full text]
The Victorian Period (1837- 1901) By: Gillian Gross and Francesca Poliseno Introduction
The Victorian Period (1837- 1901) By: Gillian Gross and Francesca Poliseno Introduction ● In the midst of the Victorian Era was a social change. Many people challenged the religious and social ideals that had been the norm. With this social change also came advances in technology and science that changed the way people viewed the world forever. Philosophical Context ● The Victorian Code of Conduct included sexual restraint, low tolerance of crime and no tolerance of homosexuality. ● Slavery was abolished in 1834, but anti- slavery morality took years to come into effect. ● Factory conditions were worse than conditions for slaves. Freed slaves were transported to Sierra Leone , or “Freetown” Religion ● The Anglican Church ● Puritanism ● Methodism and Presbyterianism ● The Crisis of Faith Literature of the Victorian Era ● Writers in the Victorian Era pushed for religious, political, and social change. ● Many writers challenged the model for perfect social behavior. Types of Literature ● The pre- raphaelites ● Aestheticism and Decadence ● Novels developed more intricate plots and character development. Famous Authors and Literature ● Great Expectations by Charles Dickens ● Oscar Wilde ● Emily Bronte ● Christina Rossetti Christina Rossetti- One of the most famous Pre- Raphaelite poets of the Victorian Era Excerpts “On this day of the year, long before you were born, this heap of decay,” stabbing with When midnight mists are creeping, And all the land is her crutched stick at the pile of cobwebs on the table but not touching it, “was brought here. sleeping, Around me tread the mighty dead, And It slowly pass away. Lo, warriors, saints, and sages, From and I have worn away together.
[Show full text]
Preview Unit Goals
Included in this unit: TEKS 1B, 1D, 1E, 2, 2A, 2C, 3, 4, 5A–D, 6, 7, 9B, 9C, 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B, 12A–D, 13A–E, 14, 14A, 14C, 15A, unit5 15C, 15D, 16, 17, 17A, RC-12(A), RC-12(B) Preview Unit Goals literary • Understand the historical and cultural context of the Victorian era analysis • Identify and analyze characteristics of realism and naturalism in fiction • Identify and analyze point of view, plot structure, and theme in fiction • Identify and analyze rhyme scheme and rhythm in poetry • Identify and analyze speaker, mood, and tone in poetry reading • Make inferences and draw conclusions • Identify a writer’s key ideas and supporting details • Identify, analyze, and evaluate persuasive techniques • Compare, contrast, and synthesize ideas writing and • Write an analytical essay grammar • Add descriptive details, choose effective settings, and establish voice • Use rhetorical questions and interrogative sentences vocabulary • Use context clues and affixes to help determine the meaning of unfamiliar words • Use a dictionary • Understand the history and development of the English language academic • analyze • impact • scheme vocabulary • dominate • resource media and • Evaluate the presentation of social and cultural messages in media viewing • Evaluate the interactions of different techniques used in multi- layered media • Evaluate how audience, bias, and purpose influence the representation of an issue or event, including changes in formality and tone • Create a power presentation Find It Online! Go to thinkcentral.com for the interactive version of this unit. 910 TX_L12PE-u05s00-uo.indd 910 9/11/09 12:20:38 PM The VICTORIANS 1832–1901 Elizabeth BarrETT BrOWNING an era of rapid change • The Influence of ROMANTICISM DVD-ROM • Realism in FICTION 'REAt'REAt STORIEs on FILMFILM • VICTorian VIEWPOINTS DISCOVEr how vISUAl aNd sOUNd tECHNIQUEs COMBINe to cAPTURe tHe drIVINg mOTIOn of BRITAIN’s INDUSTRIAl REVOLUTION.
[Show full text]
The Victorian School
THE VICTORIAN SCHOOL www.storiel.cymru Village Schools In 1880, an Act of Parliament was passed making it compulsory for every child between five and ten years old to attend school. Prior to this, not many working class children received any formal education whatsoever. During the Victorian era, a network of village schools was established. The majority of their first pupils had never been to school before, and teachers in all local schools found it difficult to get children to know what was expected from them in these new circumstances. The children were spilt into Standards or groups according to their ability, rather than age. A few of the more fortunate children had possibly learnt the alphabet from a family member who could read or had perhaps learnt to read at Sunday School in chapel or church. A Victorian mixed-age classroom A pupil could not leave a Standard and progress to the next until he or her had passed tests to prove they were ready. All these activities occurred in one room at the same time, as only one room was available to teach children in most village schools. Normally, Pupil Teachers, who were older pupils being trained to be teachers and receiving a small wage, taught the lower standards. Teachers in the Victorian age were far stricter than the teachers of today and would often beat pupils to get them to behave or if they found it difficult to get pupils to do what was expected of them. In the morning, the Headteacher would ring the hand bell and all pupils would form an orderly row outside the door.
[Show full text]