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Silhouette of Marie Weston Chapman and frame
1830-1848
Attributed to Ruth Henshaw Bascom
United States: Massachusetts
Paper; paint, mounted on board
a: board: 17-7/8"h x 14-1/2"w; b. frame: 23-3/4"h x 19-3/4"w x 3/4"d
Gift of Dr. William L. and Mary B. Guyton Collection
91.046.3a-b

a: Profile bust of a woman; white hollow cut paper cut out with black paper (or paper painted black?) underneath; signature in lower left corner; b: Wooden frame with glass


Silhouettes, also known as shades or profiles, were a popular and ubiquitous style of portraiture from the mid-1700s through the 1800s. They were less expensive than a painted portrait but declined in popularity with the invention of photography.