AMERICAN, 19TH CENTURY

Silhouettes were executed in several ways: the most common method was to cut the figure(s) out of a piece of black paper, which was then backed against a white or lithographed background. "Hollow-cutting" used the outer contour of the paper rather than the cutout silhouette itself; this contour was then backed with dark paper or cloth. The third variety was a simple drawing; all methods could be further embellished with gilding or watercolor for decorative details or facial features. In this group, the gentleman and lady demonstrate the first method while the young girl is an example of the third technique.