Long before photography, Silhouette Art was a form of
portraiture, accomplished in a variety of ways by silhouette
artists, from painting what appears in a shadow to clipping by
hand and by eye. The latter skill is just one version of paper
cutting, an ancient tradition found in cultures from Asia to
Europe. The name Silhouette is from Etienne de Silhouette, an
eighteenth century French Minister of Finance to Louis XV. He
hand cut out pensions and luxuries thus the term “cut out” or
“minimal.“ Mr. Silhouette lasted a mere eight months at his post
due to his “conservatism,“ and people would often dress entirely
in black to protest his budget cuts. It is said that Silhouette
would while away the hours in his office making these profile
“shades” of the various heads of state, and place them on the
mantle in his office for people to see. Silhouette “shades” were
the way to have a profile made without having to have an
expensive portrait commissioned, and cost about a penny a piece.
They were referred to as the “p