This unfinished American Folk Silhouette is gorgeous! The fact that the painting of his lapel and shirt front was not done allows the creativity to really shine. It is a great bridge that allows us to see how Modern Art used earlier folk art as a foundation. The cutting is so lovely without painting, we wonder if the artist meant for it to be viewed without painting. Most of the folk silhouettes of men that we see have the head cut like an egg because ink/paint supplies the hair. This profile is cut so as to leave the impression of hair without the need for paint. The uncut paper is left with a wide swath where a jacket collar could be painted and room left for the stiff white shirt collar to be left unpainted and nestled up high on the sitter’s face. You see that the artist cut a deep notch in the lapel. The bust line termination has great form ending in a point where the jacket meets where the artist would have painted the shirt front. It is all part of a great little silhouette that will enliven any collection, whether Americana based or Modern. Condition is good but for a chip on the man’s nose and a small tear on the right edge of the paper at about 9:30. There are some white specks on the blackened paper and a bit of whitish discoloration to part of the blackened paper that show so much more in the photos than in person. The white background paper has expected toning. The silhouette resides in a period black painted frame with a great surface and interesting splined on the diagonal construction. The frame backing is an early book cover of a “Spelling and Reading” book that probably dated from the early 20th century. It is later than the silhouette but I’ve left it with conservation mylar between silhouette and book cover. Framed size is 5 7/8" x 6 1/8" with a sight size of 3 5/8" x 4". Circa 1830.

#7166    Sold

Provenance: Collection of the late Theodore "Ted" and Alvina Breckel, Oley, PA and Winnetka, IL., David L. Good, York (PA) Show, 5/6/2005.