Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-07-15
THE ETTE FAD.
Provide Cut Ont of Black Paper with
Pair of Scissors.
(For the Dispatch)

The Silhouette craze is TO be revived.
The charm of the shadow profile has al
ways retained its freshness, but II 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 in the eighteenth
century and it's renewal was owed to a
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 ridicue. They
played at penury. The beaux cut their
coats short. discarded their jeweled snuff
boxes. and took 10 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
paiuters. and had their likenesses taken
bv the humble artist in shades. They or
dered their days Ia 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 so much into vogue have
retained the political nickname. mus
il is that not in the Old World farm
mid 4
only. but in the collections of aristo-
cratic portraits We find these blackened
profiles.
Among the latter silhouettists who OBJ
tanned some celebrity was Mrs Leigh
Hunt. who cut out sometimes in white
paper the profles OF some or her nus
bands most celebrated friends.
The genius of the black art in portrait
IRE is Etienne EdOuart. Born at Dun
kerque. he had been a soldier and had
served under Napoleon. He went 10 Eng
land after 1915. He has written book.
I'm which he tells about himself and about
his art one day, when in England, he
was shown some silhouettes. His friends
who proudly exhibited these pictures OF
themselves were yeXed at the scOrn ne
EXPRESSED Of them. Edouart tells US that
he took up a pair Of scissors, YoWing that
he could do better, and the result proved
that he could. His sitters were delighted
with the spirit Of the portraits ne pro-
duced From that moment Edouart en-
tered upon the career OF pr0flist. IL IS
impossible TO look over the portraits
done bv him without recognizing that ne
has a true instinct Of likeness. lie SEXES
upon the character Of the cOuntenance.
and in his book there are amusing out
bursts Of veXation against the vanity or
his sitters. one of these had a projecting
underlip. and endeavored 10 soften this
irregularity Of feature by sucking 1t in.
Edouart RACES against his faulty. IL was
by his happy knack Of selling the eccen-
tricities 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 a fanci-
ful talent, a sense Of grace. quick eye
for character conveyed by pose and
gesture. and an extraordinary dizziness
of hand in welding the scissors. sill
houette illustrations 10 Shakespeare's
Midsummer Nights Dream" and other
PLAYS. are imaginative and delicate. In
NV Young Days" he tells us 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 a good
draughtsman. lie had no claim TO be- an
artist. pencil I'm hand. but armed with
an ordinary pair Of scissors he was UNI
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-still the artist with scissors may
be met plying his profession. There are
shadow pro6les OF the illustrious men
ard women OF our day-George Washing
ton. the President. Dewey. are all shown
in blackened profile.
The charm OF silhouettes has, however
rothing 10 do with modernity. It IL an
Old world charm-that OF a world IN
which the sun has not yet turned portrait
painter.