Paw Please

The silhouettist Augustin Edouart was clearly a dog lover as he has really caught the movement of this floppy-earred spaniel as he looks pleadingly at his master. Teeny in size, this silhouette has been extracted from the artist’s Scrapbook of practice and experimental cuttings. Most of Edouart’s archive of work was lost to the sea when he was shipwrecked off the coast of Guernsey in 1829. Some years ago a salvaged scrapbook came to light in a Parisian bookshop and this is the source of this unique cutting.

The silhouette is presented in a period ambrotype frame with a decorative gilt border and (secure) make-do ribbon hanger. There is a stamp of authenticity on the inside.

Finding himself exiled in England with a wife and young family to support, Augustin Edouart opened a shop in Cheltenham selling French curios and artificial flowers but the venture was short-lived. He had also tried his hand at creating hair pictures of animals and landscapes. These found favour with HRH Duchess of York who commissioned portraits of her beloved dogs but the work was time-consuming and so not cost-effective. But all was not lost, as Edouart discovered he had an aptitude for cutting silhouettes and, third time lucky, this venture proved hugely successful. He spent 15 years travelling around the British Isles cutting thousands of profiles including many authors, musicians, politicians and royalty before setting sail to the United States where again he found favour and success.