Silhouettist
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silhouettist.bsky.social
Silhouettist
@silhouettist.bsky.social
170 followers 350 following 190 posts
Silhouette artist and collector of old silhouettes, fascinated by art and shadows. I'm posting a series of antique silhouette portraits, mostly by unknown artists.

To have me cut your own silhouette, choose a date at:
https://www.silhouettist.com/dates
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silhouettist.bsky.social
This I was working with One Aldwych to realise their dream of a Xmas Tree covered in #JaneAusten characters. The unveiling was this morning! So happy to see them all in place.
Four silhouettes on a tree branch at the bar. Tree in the foyer at One Aldwych Silhouette of Fanny Price in the tree. Silhouettes on a shelf.
November 9, 2025 at 3:42 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Silhouette cut by Claude Marin, Place du Tertre, Paris, 1920s. Like all Montmartre silhouettists today, Marin never stuck his silhouettes to the card, but supplied them loose in a glassine envelope. I'm not sure why. It seems risky when head and body are connected by just a tiny sliver of paper!
Cut black-paper silhouette of a young man with a white shirt and tie. The silhouette is supplied with a glassine envelope, behind, and printed backing card saying: PARIS – BUTTE MONTMARTRE, Claude Marin Silhouette of a young man with a white shirt collar in the badly-yellowed glassine envelope in which it was supplied. The silhouette is cut by Claude Marin and the artist's name is just visible bottom right. Silhouette of a young man, by Claude Marin, lifted away from its backing card (the silhouette was never glued to this card). The silhouette has a sharp eyelash, typical of this artist's work; a cut-away white collar, cut from the front; and a lapel line, cut from the back. Head and body are joined by a sliver of paper just 2mm wide.
October 27, 2025 at 1:57 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Looking at antique silhouettes it isn’t immediately apparent what fun they are. Yet, their “entertainment value” is the reason I’ve been making a living cutting silhouettes for over 30 years. #corporateentertainment
October 26, 2025 at 12:14 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Silhouette of me cut by my friend Steve Abbott on Llandudno Pier during filming of Silhouette Secrets in 2014.
www.roving-artist.com/silhouette-s...
#silhouetteportrait #silhouettesecrets #papercutting
Silhouette of a man with peaked hat and curly hair facing right in a maple-wood frame. Under the silhouette the artist added the inscription: "Best wishes. Llandudno Pier, 2014, Steve Abbott"
October 20, 2025 at 8:57 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Cutting a silhouette the same way it’s always been done: freehand with a pair of scissors. #silhouettecutting
October 14, 2025 at 10:29 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Recently arrived silhouette by Claude Marin, cut in Montmartre in the 1930's or 40's. The silhouette and backing card are kept loose in a glassine envelope, so you can turn the cutting over to see the white. #montmartre #claudemarin
Silhouette of a girl with beret and long pony-tail, facing left on a cream-coloured card. The caption at the bottom reads "PARIS – BUTTE MONTMARTRE, Claude Marin". The white, reverse side of a silhouette of a young girl, held between thumb and forefinger away from its backing card.
October 5, 2025 at 2:29 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Arrived this morning from a seller in Kiev, Ukraine. Can anybody help me read the inscription? Don't know who the artist is, but can see that it was cut in 1987, a few years before the breakup of the USSR.
Large silhouette of a man with collar and tie, facing right on a plain postcard. I've photographed it together with the envelope in which it arrived, covered in many Ukrainian stamps. At the bottom of the card is a short inscription in gold ink. I can't read it, apart from the ending: 1987z (year 1987).
September 16, 2025 at 11:11 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Always loved Aubrey Beardley's work. Did you know he once made a self-portrait silhouette? I know portrait weren't his "usual thing" but I've always loved this one.
Caricatured silhouette of a man with a large nose facing left. The body is tiny in relation to the head, with one hand extended forward. A caption underneath has been cropped out in this detail (too much white space) but reads: SILHOUETTE OF AUBREY BEARDSLEY
August 21, 2025 at 6:14 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
One of my favourite silhouettes by Battista Baj. Cut from black paper with scissors in the 1900s, probably in Italy, with some shading added in pencil. The cutting of the wing collar and spectacles is really great.
Silhouette of a man with beard and moustache facing left on a plain card. He has small, round spectacles and is wearing a cloth cap, wide neck tie and white, wing-collar shirt. Underneath is the artist's stamp: Baj.
August 19, 2025 at 6:57 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Self Portrait by Anna Cosep, a German silhouettist and paper cutter who published a short book called "Die Silhouette" in 1898. A second edition came out in 1909, which I've been creating an English translation of with the help of ChatGPT and DeepL. Fascinating project!
Plain black silhouette of a woman facing left. Underneath is a caption, printed in an old-style Fraktur font with a long S, which reads: Anna Corsep. Selbstporträt.
August 12, 2025 at 6:19 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Here's a fascinating photograph of a French silhouettist at work in the 1890s or 1900s. The artist is possibly M. Silvar. His signboard reads:

Portraits Silhouettes
CARTES POSTALES
3 pour 0,30

It sounds like a good deal!
www.roving-artist.com/history/did-...
Photograph of a French silhouettist posing by his signboard. He has one foot on a stool and is holding scissors and paper in his hands, while staring straight at the camera with a rather haughty expression. His signboard, at the centre of the photo, is covered in small silhouettes, each on a postcard, with the price clearly displayed in the middle. To the right of the board is a woman, looking rather quizzically at the camera. Behind the artist stands a boy who appears to be waiting in line for a silhouette, perhaps the first in a long queue. Behind the signboard are passers by and the various stalls of what might be a local town fête.
August 8, 2025 at 4:36 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Very small silhouette cut from shiny black paper by an unknown artist in 1860. It looks like a plain black profile, but if you turn the silhouette to the light, you can see details of hair an clothing pressed into the paper. I believe these were made using a stylus on the back of the paper.
Half length silhouette of a man with a white shirt on a tall, thin card. Set against the thank-you note and envelope it arrived with. Under the silhouette is a hard-to-read caption in written blue ink: "rasen (?) Theodor Stein em 1860" Detail of the same silhouette showing how details of hair and clothing appear when the card is angled to catch the light.
July 28, 2025 at 3:59 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Arrived this morning, cut by an unknown artist (I think in the 1920s) and mounted onto a blank Dutch postcard. I particularly like the way the artist cut the wing collar. He has one of the smallest cut eyelashes I've ever seen.
Silhouette of a man with wing collar and tie, facing left on a plain card, shown with the envelope and packing slip with which it arrived
July 21, 2025 at 10:32 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Did Monsieur Silvar ever really exist? He was one of the most prolific 1900s silhouettists in Paris, yet the only clue to his name is this silhouette, on which the sitter wrote in French:
"My silhouette, made by Mr Silvar, silhouettist at the Olympia, Paris."
www.roving-artist.com/history/did-...
Silhouette of a man with boater hat facing right. Above, somebody has written: Ma silhouette faite par M. Silvar Silhouettiste á "l'Olympia" à Paris. The card is stamped and postmarked on the front. Under the silhouette the sitter has added his signature and the date: 3 août 1907.
July 18, 2025 at 4:43 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Silhouette signed A.M. Arassen. This is in a friend's collection and is the only Arassen silhouette either of us has ever seen. Reverse includes the inscription: E. Hayner, Eversley, June 1924. It's a tantalising glimpse of work by an unknown talented, probably professional artist.
Silhouette of a man with a. long beard facing right on a blank, English postcard. The silhouette is cut from black paper and highlighted in white ink to indicate details of hair, collar and beard. Unusually, there is no bustline: the silhouette ends at the bottom with the straight edge of the paper. It is signed very small, lower right: a. m. arassen.
April 6, 2025 at 7:05 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Page of silhouettes from one of my silhouette duplicate albums. Each cut with scissors. #silhouette #blueskyartshow
18 silhouette portraits cut from white paper and mounted on dark blue
April 5, 2025 at 11:00 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Silhouette by Jen Handrup working in London’s DH Evans department store in the 1900s. Cut in two parts with collar details added in grey watercolour and hat details in white crayon. #dhevans #handrup #arthistory
Silhouette of a woman with a large feathered hat facing left on a plain card.
March 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Happy Day! Just arrived, this pair of silhouettes by the well-known African-American silhouettist E.J. Perry, probably cut at Coney Island in the 1900s. This essay by Eric Washington tells more: www.gothamcenter.org/blog/ej-perr...
#ejperry #blackhistory #arthistory #silhouetteportrait
Two silhouettes of men, each facing right on separate printed postcards. The cards each have the same printed, decorative border. At the bottom is the caption: "Ye Olde Tyme Silhouette by Perry". Both men have hats and beards and are wearing white shirt and tie. One shirt has a wing collar.
March 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Another by the inimitable Harry Oakley, cut with scissors, probably in a department store in the 1920s or 30s. I love his sensitive, one-line, full-length silhouettes.
#arthistory #silhouetteportrait #harryoakley
Full-length silhouette of a girl in school uniform facing right on a plain card, set in a heavy oak frame. Her hands are clasped behind her back and her head is inclined down slightly. Bottom left is the artist's stamp: H.L.OAKLEY
March 6, 2025 at 11:13 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Set of sixteen silhouettes cut by Harry Oakley at a dinner party on Saturday 20th August 1932.
#silhouettes #dinnerparty #harryoakley
Sixteen silhouettes arranged in two rows of eight, all facing right in a simple, black frame. The men are all wearing white shirts with black bow ties, while many of the women have earrings cut into the paper. Bottom left is written in ink: "Cut by H. L. Oakley". Bottom right is written: "Dinner Party, December 20th 1932"
March 5, 2025 at 11:58 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Two tiny silhouettes by Felily Odzikowski. These were cut in Paris in 1934. On the left is a portrait and on the right a caricature, both of the same woman!
www.roving-artist.com/silhouette-c...
#felilyodzikowski #champselysees #Paris #arthistory
Two silhouettes of the same woman on separate cards with a 2€ coin added for scale. The heads of each silhouette are about the same size as the coin. The portrait version faces right and the caricature version faces left. At the bottom of each card is a label, printed in tiny, green, capital letters: DÉCOUPÉ PAR FÉLIX ODZIKOWSKI .EFO. PARIS-1934
March 4, 2025 at 9:35 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Pair of silhouettes cut by Inger Eidem at Tivoli Gardens in 1956. She always cut both portrait and caricature versions! I've written a blog about Inger here:
www.roving-artist.com/silhouette-c...
#silhouetteportrait #tivoligardens #ingereidem
Two silhouettes of a woman with wavy hair face to face on two cards. On the left is a portrait, facing right and set in a printed oval border with a ribbon design at the top. On the right is a caricature, with a grotesquely long nose, facing left and set in a larger rectangular border. Under each is a printed legend: "Tivoli 1956" and a smaller printed label: "Klippet af Inger Eidem" (cut by Infer Eidem).
March 2, 2025 at 10:31 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Just for a change, here is one of my own. The late Prince Phillip, cut from life at the 80th birthday party of Queen Elizabeth II, held at The Ritz, London on 5th December 2006. This is my copy. I recall he commented I'd made his nose too big! What do you think? #princephillip #silhouette
White-paper silhouette of man facing left on a dark-blue background. Caption written in ink just above the bustline reads: "HRH Duke of Edinburgh"
March 1, 2025 at 12:15 PM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Back in the UK, so here's something more English. This charming silhouette of two siblings at play cut by Hubert Leslie. It was made in 1924, probably during a home visit. I love the pose of the girl and spiral, wooden table leg. #arthistory #silhouetteportraits #hubertleslie
Scene cut from a single piece of back paper and mounted onto white card. On the right is a young girl, kneeling on the floor and pointing at something in a book. The book rests on a small, single-leg, round table with three feet at the bottom. The table, with its spiral, wooden leg, forms the centre of the composition. On the left is a young boy (assumed to be the girl's younger brother) sitting on a cushion and too short to properly see what his sister is pointing at. Under the cutting is the artist's signature: Hubert Leslie 1924
February 28, 2025 at 9:36 AM
silhouettist.bsky.social
Today's silhouette is another one from Paris, cut in 1977 in Montmartre. I don't know the artist, but it's interesting that they use a variation of the same card that Odzikowski used to mount silhouettes (see post a few days ago). #silhouettes #the100dayproject #arthistory
Silhouette of a young girl with shoulder length hair facing right inside a printed design of an artist's pallet in purple. Above her is written, in red ink: "BUL! PARIS '77 M.MARTRE" (I don't know if Bul is the girl's name or the artist's, or something else). Printed on the card, outside the pallet design, are icons of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur Basilica.
February 27, 2025 at 7:56 AM