JACKSON, E. Nevill (SIGNED) THE HISTORY OF SILHOUETTES , London: Plates: 10 in Colour, 96 in Monotone, 1911.

Illustrated by 10 Plates IN COLOUR / 96 PLATES IN MONOTONE. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/No DJ. DEMY 4TO Inscribed By Author SIGNEDBY AUTHOR. Front of DJ tipped into back of book. Blue cloth covered boards gilt titling and decoration, black silhouttes on upper cover. Some fading to spine. Cloth rubbed to edges. Marbled end papers. SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR ON THE HALF TITLE PAGE: "TO GEOFFREY HUTCHINSON WITH EVERY GOOD WISH FROM EMILY NEVILL JACKSON. FEB: 25TH 1933." Tissue guarded colour frontis + 9 colour plates and 96 in Monotone. Beautiful pages of colour silhouettes /plates. 121 pages of text. LXXII Plates at back of book. Index. Slight darkening to page margins. A few foxing spots to page tips. Text and plates clean. Binding tight. SPECIMEN PAGE. Some of the peasant cutting is extremely interesting, much of it is landscape and flower work, rather than portraiture ; wherever it was done, the workers declared it was a new art, nor were the professionals backward in using novelty as an extra inducement for the purchase. In nearly every advertisement of black profile work, the assertion is made that the invention is entirely new. The claims of originality and superiority are about equal. We cannot argue the matter with these people as they are all dead, we can only assure the living that their claims were quite without foundation. Charles of Bath, always a boaster, declares himself to be the inventor of painting at the back of glass. Bingham of Manchester paints on plaster and reduces ` in a manner entirely new '. Jones in 1752 makes shade profiles on an entirley new plan, he also advertises newly invented reflecting mirrors. Mrs. Lightfoot 'reduces her profiles on a plan entirely new, which preserves the most exact symmetry and animated expression. It is much superior to any other plan,' and so on. An advertisement of Master Hubard late in his life, runs thus. The curious and much admired art of cutting out likenesses with common scissors (without drawing or machine) originated in this establishment in 1822. Master Hubard was the first youth known to possess the extraordinary talent of delineating profile likenesses with scissors, and his works consisting of military, architectural and other subjects are still considered the finest specimens of Papyrotomic art. As the originator of this new and curious art, Master Hubard was, in 1823, presented with an expensive silver palette by the Glasgow Philosophical Society, and by that Society his exhibition was first designated the ' Hubard Gallery'. Enough has been said to refute foolish claims to originality. Germany and Austria have always excelled in gold glass pictures, which are perhaps technically the most difficult to achieve ; the painting must first be done on the back of the glass, and gold leaf or silver put on the spaces left free. To avoid contact with the air the back is generally covered in with wax. Occasionally the wax is coloured, as in a memorial plaque by Forberger, an 8-inch oval, where both gold and silver are used, and blue wax filling greatly enhances the richness of effect (see Plate 35). An instrument like a fine etching needle is used for hair, lace gauze and foliage. Sometimes the portrait is painted and a wreath of flowers or swags of fruit are indicated as a framing on the same piece of glass. A well authenticated piece by Schmid of Vienna, who at the time was working in Bohemia, has two portraits facing each other (as on the snuff-box at the Metropolitan Museum, New York) . The black profiles are on a green ground and are surrounded by black sprigs of flowers and leaves, the signature is ` Fecit Schmid de Vienna '797, Toeplitz, Aug. 24'. IN writing this book the author had access to the Royal Collection of silhouette portraits at Windsor, and to many other examples, both in private and public ownership. The result is that she is able to present for the first time a rich and varied Shadow Show in silhouette jewellery, snuff boxes and on rare porcelain and glass specimens. Careful research over many years has revealed a number of names and dates of artists hitherto unknown or forgotten. All this interesting information has been used by Mrs. Jackson in her book, which is a fascinating record of an art that is an important side-issue of the art of portraiture. The numbers of people who are interested in silhouette either as nature's own life portrait or as a pictorial record of their ancestors, will appreciate so complete a study of a little-known art and will find much to attract them in the clear and precise way in which Mrs. Jackson has thrown new light on it. (Book ref. 129892)  £45.00

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