Vintage Sillouette “Madamoiselle and Her Suitor”

Beautifully detailed and handcrafted vintage sillouette art, features seated woman in hoop skirt and corset, waving her handkerchief and “dandy” suitor in waistcoat, top hat and walking stick.

Frame exhibits some wear.  Dust cover on reverse has been replaced

Frame measures   10 ¾”  x  8 ¾”  x  5/8”

Cutting portraits, generally in profile, from black card became popular in the mid-18th century, though the term silhouette was seldom used until the early decades of the 19th century, and the tradition has continued under this name into the 21st century. They represented a cheap but effective alternative to the portrait miniature, and skilled specialist artists could cut a high-quality bust portrait, by far the most common style, in a matter of minutes, working purely by eye.

In America, silhouettes were highly popular from about 1790 to 1840.