AMERICAN SCHOOL, MID-19TH CENTURY

Silhouettes with large figural groups are more interesting and desirable than those with single figures; this example depicts what appears to be a family within a fashionable interior. Although unsigned, this silhouette bears strong resemblance to the work of August Edouart (1789-1861), who was the prominent silhouette artist of his time and whose accurate portraits were popular even during the advent of photography.