More on Hand-Cut Silhouettes - and Another Sunset Photo

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My last post was about a hand-cut silhouette which was created and given to us at a wedding in Surrey, England, in 2015. It was placed in a nice little folder on the back of which was some interesting information about this type of craft. Hand-cut silhouettes were very popular during the Georgian and Regency periods, dying out in Victorian times as photography became much more fashionable. The name comes from an infamous Controller General of France, Etienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), who imposed a vigorous regime of tax rises and spending cuts. At drawing room gatherings, de Silhouette would amuse himself by cutting profiles from paper. It became a popular joke that the only portraits people could afford were cheap paper cut-outs a la Silhouette. They are cut freehand, using only the eye as a guide and we were amazed at the speed of the process, with the guy snipping away with his eye on us and only looking down at his hands occasionally. Another craft to be admired for the artistry and skill involved in its execution. The photo is another of the sunset of two nights ago with trees silhouetted against a fiery sky.