Vintage Silhouettes: Their History, How to Display and a Few To Buy

If you follow me on Instagram (@capitolvintagecharm) you know that I was discussing my love for silhouettes recently. I have several and always scatter them around gallery walls. (See picture above - an old apartment on Capitol Hill we called "The Snuggery" cause it was like 2 square basement feet.) Now I'm thinking of fresh ways to display these.

History of Silhouettes

According to Silhouettes By Hand, silhouettes became popular in Europe in the 1700's. They reached the height of their popularity in the early 1800's. Some saw them as a popular form of remembering their loved ones before photography was developed. It was often seen as something a middle class (or less wealthy) family would participate in. Those of extreme means would still likely choose an actual portrait over a silhouette. Photography became available for portraits around 1840 and silhouettes started to be replaced.

Displaying Silhouettes Collection

I have been thinking about collections a lot lately and how grouping items together makes such a powerful visual impact (did you see my post on Vintage Globes?) A wall full of different sizes, shapes and colors of vintage silhouettes could be a great solution to that wall you just can't figure out what to do.