Silhouette Glass Pictures and The Stories They Tell

By Donald-Brian Johnson

Remember “Silhouettes?” In that classic ‘50s tune by The Rays, a fellow pays an evening visit to his girlfriend’s house, sees “two silhouettes on the shade,” and jumps to conclusions. He rushes in, confronts the couple, and discovers he’s on the wrong block.

He then heads to the (hopefully) right house, ready to greet his gal and create two silhouettes all their own. The stories told by silhouette glass pictures are often just as involving, if less action-packed. The specific moments captured spark the imagination.

A woman and child stand on the shore, waving out to sea. Is it a welcome or a farewell? A mountain man and his pack-laden burro hit the dusty trail. Where are they headed? A boy pounds furiously away on a piano. Is he enjoying practice or just hurrying to get done? Since these are shadow figures, with only outlines defining them, there are no other visual cues to help provide answers. That’s where imagination comes in. We create our own scenarios, just like that fellow observing those “two silhouettes on the shade.”

The art of the silhouette, defined as “an object seen, or as if seen, against the light,” actually predates the art of painting. According to Pliny the Elder, writing in 77 A.D., ancient Egyptian and Greek artists first developed their talents by tracing around the human shadow. The modern concept of the silhouette—a featureless profile cut from dark paper and mounted on a contrasting background—owes its name to Étienne de Silhouette, French finance minister during the mid-1700s. Since de Silhouette imposed harsh economic restrictions, his name became synonymous with doing things on the cheap. Profiles cut from black card were the cheapest means of preserving a person’s image, so the term “silhouette” came into vogue for these profiles.

While cut-card silhouettes still continued as a unique artistry, silhouette pictures on glass took the technique a step further. Here, the “shadowettes” (as one company billed them) were either hand-painted or, more commonly, silk-screened on the glass interior, facing out. The colorful background illustration that the reverse-painted glass was then sealed to provided a vivid contrast and often complemented the subjects depicted. An 18th-century courting couple is seen beside a tranquil lake; cowboys at their campfire are backlit by a radiant sunset.

Sometimes, the background is less specific but equally eye-catching: pressed flowers, tinted foil, or even butterfly wings (real at first, then artificial after public outcry).

Most “true” silhouettes utilized only black paint, carrying on the cut-card tradition of
profiled images presented in complete shadow. Additional visual interest came with the
introduction of convex glass. Curving provided a dimensionality impossible to achieve with flat glass. Shadow figures painted on the glass now appeared separate from the background, often casting their own shadows.

The heyday of silhouette glass pictures ran from the 1920s into the early 1960s. Since they were inexpensive to mass-produce, wholesale prices reflected this. (A price list from the 1940s touted “500 at 33 cents each.”) Thanks to the low cost, businesses ranging from grocery and hardware stores to bars and funeral homes snapped them up as giveaways. So that customers would remember who was responsible for this generosity, the business name was emblazoned at the bottom, sometimes coupled with a poem or a pithy motto (“The fellow who looks ahead seldom falls behind”). Silhouette pictures were also staples at dime stores and gift shops, and often sold in pairs.

Some silhouette pictures came with “extras,” such as a working thermometer incorporated into the artwork or a small calendar pasted on the back. Calendars that remain intact are one of the few definitive means of estimating a silhouette’s production date. Guesswork is also involved in determining who manufactured a specific piece, as few firms tagged or stamped their silhouette work. (One notable exception: Newton Mfg. of Newton, IA, which back-stamped their frames.)

Among the numerous producers of silhouette pictures, Benton Glass of Benton Harbor, Michigan, was the most prolific. A copper-like or striped metal frame often signals a Benton silhouette. Helpful identifiers for other companies are period catalogs or ads. From the examples shown, a specific style can often be extrapolated for use in identifying other pieces.

Silhouette glass pictures remain a very affordable collectible; many are in the $15 to $40 range, with few over $50. And, as the most common size was 4” x 6”, a wall can be filled with silhouettes, telling a multitude of stories…perhaps even that of “two silhouettes on the shade!”

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Silhouettes courtesy of Mark Dickmeyer, and Jerry & Kathy Eichner
Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann

Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns. Please address inquiries to: donaldbrian@msn.com