Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1975.725.1 |
Object Name |
Silhouette |
Title |
Silhouette of Jacob Hiltzheimer |
Artist |
Unknown |
Date |
1780-89 |
Description |
Oval-framed, profile silhouette, facing his left. Subject has long hair or wig, tied back with a ribbon. He wears a neckcloth and ruffle. Unsigned and undated. Pairs with wife, Hannah Hiltzheimer (1975.725.2). |
Label |
In 1802, artist Charles Willson Peale purchased a small machine for making silhouettes of his museum visitors. The "physiognotrace" outlined the shadow cast on a sheet of white paper by the sitter's head. The "profilist" cut along the outline and pasted the "hollow-cut" white sheet on a black background. Quaker Jacob Hiltzheimer was a livestock dealer and local politician; his diaries are held by the Pennsylvania Historical Society. This silhouette was acquired as a pair with the silhouette of Jacob's wife, Hannah Hiltzheimer (1975.725.2). |
Medium |
Paper |
Dimensions |
H-5.25 W-3.625 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century profile portrait Peale Museum Quaker |