New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-02
THE SILHOUETTE FAD.
Provide Cut Ont of Black Paper with
n Pair of Scissors.
lFOr M DlspatChD

The Silhouette craze is to be revived.
The charm of the shadow profile has al
ways retained its freshness, but it is to
become a passing fad once more. Every
ones portrait will be taken silhouette
fashion by the artist Of the scissors, and
the best work will soon be on exhibition.
An exhibit of this kind is always novel
and interesting. The history OF the art
is lost in antiquity. 1t suddenly sprang
into renewed popularity I'm the eighteenth
century and its renewal was owed to
Joke. Towards the close of the reign oil
Louis Ky. the finances Of France were
at a low ebb. The Minister, NJ. de Sill
houette was at his wits end to procure
money. and he prescribed the most rigid
economy The gay crew OF mobiles turn
ed him and his measures 10 ridicule. They
played at penury. The beaux cut their
coats short. discarded their jewelled snuff
boxes. and took TO wooden ones; great
ladies' abandoned their silken brocades
and appeared in sober woollen garments,
and. for the fun Of the thing, they gave
up sitting 10 the fashionable portrait
painters. and had their likenesses taken
by the humble artist in shades. Ihey Or
dered their days a la silhouette. Ihey
dubbed everything silhouette" that was
shabby and sordid. The fashions that
were named after the Minister nave
passed away; but the profile portraits that
then came 50 much into vogue nave
retained the political nickname. mus
il is that not in the Old World farm
houses and in the middle-class pariors'
only. but in the collections Of aristo-
cratic portraits We find these oiacheheu
profles.
Among the latter silhouettists VINO op-
tanned some celebrity was Mrs Leigh
Hunt who cut out sometimes in white
paper the profiles Of some OF her nus
bands most celebrated friends.
The genius of the black art in portrait
IRE is Etienne Edouart. Born at Dun
kerdue. he had been soldier and had
served under Napoleon He went 10 Eng
land after ISIS. lie has written a book.
I'm which he tells about himself and about
his art one day. when in England, ne
WAS shown some silhouettes. His friends
who proudly exhibited these pictures OF
themselves were veXed at the scorn ne
| EXPRESSED Of them. Edouart tells US that
! he took up pair Of scissors NoWlng thdt
he could do better, and the result proved
that he could His sitters were delighted
with the spirit Of the portraits he pro-
| duced From that moment Edouart en-
| tered upou the career Of prohlst. IL is
| impossible 10 look over the portraits
| done bv him without recognizing that ne
has a true instinct Of likeness. He SEXES
upon the character Of the cOuntenance.
and in his book there are amusing OUT
bursts Of veXation against the vanity OF
his sitters. one of these had a projecting
underlfp. and endeavOred TO soften this
irregularity Of feature by sucking 1t in.
Edouart RACES against his faulty. IL was
by his happy knack Of selling the eccen-
trictles of outline without exaggeration
that ne rendered character without hint
Of caricature.
During the second half Of the present
century the German artist Paul Ko-
newka. very successfully applied the
black art to illustration. He had fanci-
ful talent. a sense Of grace, a quick eye
for character conveyed by pose and
gesture. and an extraordinary deftness
of hand in welding the scissors. sill
houetta illustrations 10 Shakespeare
Midsummer Nights Dream" and other
PLAYS. are imaginative and delicate. In
NV Young Days" he tells as something
about himself. The volume IS illustrated
with humorous and spirited silhouettes
| OF children and animals al play. IN sor-
row at work. KOnewka was not good
draughtsman. lie had no claim 10 be an
artist pencil in hand. but armed with
an ordinary pair OF scissors he was un-
rivalled. His silhouettes. elaborate,
minute. full OF character, rise almost to
the dignity Of fine art.
The black art In portraiture has never
been extinct. At fairs on the steam
boat IN the season Of excursions on the
river az various popular places Of amuse-
ment-stiu the artist with scissors may
ha met nlving his profession. There are
shadow profles OF the ilustrious men
and women OF our day-George Washing
| ION the President, Dewey are all shown
in blackened protle.
The charm Of silhouettes has, however
rotbing 10 do with modernity. 1t IL an
| Old world charm-that OF world In
which the sun has not yet turned portal,
painter.