Biography

The Frenchman Augustin Edouart was the most prolific silhouette artist of his day. Born in Dunkirk, he served in the Napoleonic Wars and came to England in 1814. Edouart travelled around the country extensively, cutting the silhouettes of nearly every man and woman who had even the slightest claim to fame. In 1830 and 31 he was in Scotland, working in Edinburgh and in Glasgow. His silhouette portraits were cut from black paper and are mostly full-length profiles, around 18 centimetres high.