Silhouettes

Did you know that the word "silhouette" is a French word that dates back to before the French Revolution?

The art of silhouette cutting originated in Europe in the early 1700's. Prior to the French Revolution, artists were hired as an amusement for the royal class. The artist would attend the many extravagant balls and cut out the profiles of the Lords and Ladies, capturing the latest fashions and elaborate wigs.
   While the aristocrats were having their silhouettes cut out and eating like kings, much of Europe was starving, especially in France. In the 1760's the Finance Minister of France, Etienne de Silhouette, had crippled the French people with his merciless tax policies. Etienne had a hobby of cutting out paper profiles, the latest fad. Etienne de Silhouette was so despised by the people of France that in protest the peasants wore only black mimicking his black paper cutouts. The saying went all over France "We are dressing à la Silhouette. We are shadows, too poor to wear color. We are Silhouettes!"

To this very day the black profile cutouts are called silhouettes.

 

French Club members painted and then collaged frames to display their silhouettes. (Collage, like many art terms, has French origins - it comes from the French word "coller" which means "to glue".)

Do you recognize any of these Calvert students?