Mr Castle

The gentleman in this hollow-cut silhouette is identified on the reverse as Mr Castle. As he wears a catogan wig with a turned-up plait, the profile can be dated to around 1775 making this an early example of Sarah Harrington’s work. It is presented in the original ebonised frame with a crenellated inner border. Apart from a small watermark blemish to the top edge, the silhouette is very good untouched condition.

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.