[HN Gopher] 19th-century silhouettes in newly digitized collection
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       19th-century silhouettes in newly digitized collection
        
       Author : prismatic
       Score  : 7 points
       Date   : 2023-04-12 04:54 UTC (18 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.smithsonianmag.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.smithsonianmag.com)
        
       | singeezie wrote:
       | I know this is a digitized collection, but the original way 19th
       | century silhouettes were created was pretty interesting and as
       | most would think pretty simple . They were created by cutting out
       | the outline of a person's profile from black paper, and then
       | mounting the cut-out onto a contrasting background. :)
       | 
       | But all silliness aside, silhouette portraits were a popular
       | alternative to more expensive painted portraits and were
       | especially popular in the United States during the early 19th
       | century. They were also used as a way of creating a memento of
       | loved ones, especially those who were far away or had passed
       | away.
       | 
       | The process of creating silhouette portraits was relatively
       | simple and required only a few materials, including black paper,
       | scissors, and a light source. The subject would sit or stand in
       | front of the light source, and the artist would trace their
       | profile onto the paper before cutting it out.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2023-04-12 23:01 UTC)