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Item Ref. 4644

ENGLISH SCHOOL, mid 19th century

This silhouette shows a young boy wearing a sailor suit with knee-length trousers and pointed shoe with buckles. He is proudly displaying his toy sailing ship.

Naval uniforms were introduced in the Royal Navy in the early nineteenth century. In 1846, the four-year-old Prince Albert (the future Edward VII) was given a scaled-down version of the uniform worn by ratings on the Royal Yacht. He wore the suit during a cruise off the Channel Islands delighting the public and sparking a new fashion.

The silhouette is cut and gilded. It is presented in a giltwood frame and is in fine condition.

Size: framed, 10 x 7" (258 x 179mm)

S O L D !

Cut and gilded silhouette of a boy with a toy ship
Cut and painted silhouette of 4-year old Griffith Jones

Item Ref. 4590

ENGLISH SCHOOL, 1844

This is a charming silhouette of a four-year-old boy, named Griffith Jones, wearing a fashionable plaid pelisse over ankle-length trousers and a shirt with a broad filled collar. On his feet he has bootees and in his hand an oversized cap with a dramatic tassel.

Griffith Jones was born in 1840 and died in 1908. He lived in Goldington in Bedfordshire and was a timber merchant.

The profile is cut and painted in watercolour with Chinese white for the collar. It is housed in the original Hogarth frame. Both frame and silhouette are in excellent condition.

Size: framed, 10¾ x 61/8" (274 x 202mm)

S O L D !

Item Ref. 4473

JOHN M. A. TUCKER, 1850

LOST on Monday between Old Town Street & Union St,
a purse containing sovereigns...

This unusual silhouette is a posthumous portrait of William Tucker town crier of Plymouth, a position he held for thirty-five years. Dressed in his regalia of gilt-edged cloak and tricorn hat, and carrying two bells, he would have a prominent figure on the streets. On this particular day he is advertising the lose of a purse containing sovereigns. No doubt there would have been a reward offered for its safe return.

A bell man or town crier spread the news at a time when many people could not read newspapers. The tradition dates back to the sixteenth century when Chester's first bell man was paid one penny for 'going for anything that is lost' and four pennies for leading a funeral procession. An article in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette on 12 July 1828 records how the town crier (possibly William Tucker) gave notice that Henry Broom (described as "a wretch in human shape") was intending to auction his wife. He subsequently sold her for one pound, much to the crowd's anger and a riot broke out.

The silhouette is painted and has a watercolour border. It is signed and dated August 1850 on the reverse. The artist was probably a relative of the sitter. The silhouette is also inscribed along the bottom edge - WILLIAM TUCKER / Died Novr 1st, 1848. Aged 79. Being Town crier of the Borough of Plymouth 35 Years. The silhouette is set in the original dark wood frame.

watercolour inscription on a painted silhouette of the Plymouth town crier

Size: framed, 147/8 x 133/8" (380 x 338mm)

Price: £550

Painted silhouette of the Plymouth town crier

Signature on the reverse

Painted silhouette of the Plymouth town crier

Painted silhouette of a young girl painted by Monsieur Edgar Adolphe

Painted silhouette of a young girl painted by Monsieur Edgar Adolphe

Item Ref. 4319

MONSIEUR EDGAR ADOLPHE, circa 1840

This is a charming bust-length silhouette of a young girl wearing a wide-shouldered dress with a frilled neckline. Her hair has been parted in the middle and drawn into narrow plaits that have been tied with ribbon and looped in front of her ears.

The profile is painted on card using a bluish-grey body colour with gum arabic and touches of Chinese white to bring out the details in the hair and dress. It is signed 'Adolphe' in the shadow-line and is backed with the artist's trade label no. 3 that leads with a poem. This label was in use around 1838-1844.

The silhouette is housed in a square ebonised frame with a gilt slip. The frame is also glazed on the reverse to reveal the trade label. Fine condition.

Framed size: 6½ x 6" (166 x 153mm)
Provenance: D. S. Patton collection
Literature: See British Silhouette Artists and their Work 1760-1860 - page 463, plate 648

Price: £240

French-born, 'Monsieur' Edgar Adolphe (fl. circa 1832-1846) advertised himself as 'Miniature Painter, and Profilist, to Louis Philippe, King of France'. He appears to have moved to England during the early 1830s settling eventually to work in Brighton. He charged 3/6- for a bust-length profile and 5s for a maple frame.

Adolphe's trade label number 3

Item Ref. 4123

J. NEWTON, circa 1820

This silhouette of a gentleman has been painted by a rarely found Irish artist. The style of the gentleman's tail-coat with its high rolled collar and well-padded shoulders along with the standing shirt collar dates the profile to the 1820s. The detail of his coat has been heightened using gum arabic and his hair has been highlighted with gold.

The silhouette is backed with an unrecorded trade label for the artist giving his address as 95 Grafton Street (corner of Exchequer Street) in Dublin. It seems highly probable that this is the same John Newton listed in Foskett's Miniatures Dictionary and Guide as working at nearby 82 Dame Street in 1824.

The silhouette is housed in a larger than average papier-mâché frame with a deep metal surround and an emblems (rose, thistle and shamrock) hanger.

Framed Size: 6¾ x 61/8" (172 x 157mm)

Price: £240

J. Newton, painted silhouette of a gentleman

J. Newton, unrecorded trade label

John Miers, silhouette on ivory

Item Ref. 4240

JOHN MIERS, 1758-1821

This is an eighteenth century silhouette of a gentleman wearing a 'physical' wig, a style of wig much favoured by the professional and learned gentlemen of the day and which dates the profile to around 1770.

The silhouette is painted on ivory and is signed Miers under the bust-line. It is set in the original ebonised frame.

Framed size: 4¾ x 4¼" (120 x 105mm)

Price: £400

Although he never trained professionally, John Miers is considered to be the finest of the 18th century silhouettists. His career began in Leeds when he took over his father's business as a coach-painter & gilder. Having recently married, Miers was keen to expand the business and, in addition to preparing and selling paints, he advertised profile shades in miniature for 2s. 6d. each. He clearly excelled at this from the start as within a few years this had become his main line of business and prompted Miers to move his family first to Edinburgh and eventually to London where he ran a busy and successful studio at the Strand.

Item Ref. 4171

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1830

This is an attractive half-length silhouette profile of a young girl wearing a dress with a frilled neckline and widely puffed sleeves. Her hair is prettily arranged in long curls around her face.

The silhouette has been cut and expertly gilded to highlight the detail of her dress and the individual curls in her hair. As to be expected, there is some light age-browning to the background card but this is not intrusive. The profile is housed in the original period giltwood frame. The frame is scratched and has a few old edge chips.

Framed Size: 7¾ x 6¾" (200 x 170mm)

Price: £200

Cut and gilded silhouette of a young girl
Painted and gilded silhouette of a lady in an attractive frame

Item Ref. 4387

ENGLISH SCHOOL, circa 1810

This young Regency lady is wearing a stylish dress with a frilled neckline, narrow sleeves and a high waistline. Her hair has been drawn back into a plaited knot with tight curls on her forehead.

The profile is painted and is finely gilded. It is presented in an eye-catching rosewood frame with a shaped metal mount. There is a little dust-soiling to the background card but this remains a particularly attractive piece.

Framed size: 6 x 55/8" (152 x 133mm)

Price: £150

Item Ref. 3633

AUGUSTIN EDOUART (1789-1861)

This is a fine example of the skilled workmanship of the celebrated silhouettist Augustin Edouart depicting a gentleman wearing an academic gown over a tail-coat. He appears to be holding a pair of gloves in his clasped hands. As before, the profile is exceptionally well cut - note especially the eyebrow in addition to the eyelash as well as the collar line and the single buttonhole. The profile is inscribed in pencil on the reverse with the sitter's name - Frederick Thackeray MD, Cambridge.

Frederick Thackeray was the son of Thomas Thackeray, one of the original surgeons to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge in 1766. Frederick succeeded his father as a surgeon in 1796 and later qualified as a physician, transferring from the surgical staff to the medical staff in 1827. He was the brother of William Makepeace Thackeray, author of the much-loved classic novel Vanity Fair.

The silhouette is signed: 'Augn Edouart fecit 1828' and is set in what appears to be the original handsome bird's eye maple veneer frame with gilt slip. The silhouette is in excellent condition though the frame has two old wormholes on the front.

Framed size: 14 x 101/8" (186 x 148mm)

Price: £550

As an ex-Bonapartist claiming asylum in Britain, Augustin Edouart discovered by chance, when he was challenged by a friend at a dinner-party, that he had a natural aptitude for cutting likenesses, so much so that he made a successful career of it. He toured extensively throughout the British Isles for several years cutting many hundreds of profiles including some well-known figures of the day including authors, musicians, politicians and royalty. He then set sail for New York where he was likewise in demand and where he toured successfully for ten years before deciding to retire to his native home in 1849. He nearly didn't make it as his ship went down in a storm off Guernsey. Fortunately the passengers were all rescued but Edouart lost much of his precious archive of work and the will to continue with his work thereafter.

Augustin Edouart, signed silhouette of a named gentleman

Augustin Edouart signature
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Cynthia McKinley
Wigs on the Green Fine Art, York
Tel. +44 (0)1904 794711             Mobile: 07962 257915
Email: enquiries@wigsonthegreen.co.uk