| Artist |
Auguste Edouart (attributed) |
| Description |
The silhouette (also known as a "shade" or "shadow") was an inexpensive and popular form of portraiture from about 1780 to 1850. This example, depicting a game of chess, is probably by Auguste Edouart (1788-1861), a French emigre who cut his first silhouette in the United States in 1839.
The players in this silhouette are The Athenaeum's Librarian, William McIlhenney, Jr. (c.1779-1853), who was said to be passionately fond of chess, and his partner is George Spackman (d.1861), a fellow alumnus of The University of Pennsylvania. |
| Year Range from |
1840 |
| Year range to |
1850 |
| Material |
Black cut-out Paper |
| Object ID |
AP.72.01 |
| Object Name |
Silhouette |
|
