Capt John Horsfall

The gentleman in this hollow-cut silhouette wearing a wide-brimmed hat is identified on the reverse as John Horsfall. Dated 1772, it is one of the earliest examples of Sarah Harrington’s work. The profile is meticulously cut to show not only the buttons on his coat and frilled shirt front but also the tip of the high collar and his eyelash. The silhouette is presented in the original pressed brass frame, a style of frame favoured by the author. There is a paper repair (as shown in the images and reflected in the asking price) but otherwise the silhouette is in good original condition.

Born in 1748, John Horsfall was the third child of Henry Horsfall and Grace Mortimer. The Horsfalls owned Malsis Hall, a substantial property set in 300 acres in North Yorkshire, but were obliged to let it to tenants in order to raise the funds for a hefty fine imposed on them when they sided with the Royalists during the English Civil War.

John Horsfall was a Company Commander in the Yorkshire West 1 Militia, a position he resigned in December 1781 when he was appointed a Cornet (a commissioned officer who carried the colours) in Sir John Burgoyne’s 23rd Regiment of Light Dragoons. The regiment left for the East Indies soon after and John may never have returned as he died in June 1783. He was unmarried.

Active between 1772 and 1787, Sarah Harrington specialised in ‘hollow-cut’ silhouettes where the profile was cut out of white paper but it was the surrounding paper that was retained and backed with either black paper or silk. Having taken up silhouette cutting in later life, Mrs Harrington successfully patented her method of producing profiles in 1775. She regularly went on tour attracting a steady clientele. As a well-educated lady herself, she advocated the education of women even giving geography lessons to young ladies.