James Grey

Silhouette, 1/3 length cut silhouette of a gentleman, Mr. James Grey, with gold embellishments.

A silhouette portrait of James Grey, created by an unknown artist in about 1840.

The artist has added gold highlights to the man's clothes and hair. A fine black line gives the impression of eyelashes. These details were made by drawing onto the black background, but similar effects could also be created by removing areas of the silhouette - for instance in the subject's white collar.

Silhouettes became popular in Britain in the late 1700s. They were named after Etienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), a French finance minister and amateur profile artist.