The cuttings usually show groups of children, reminding us of Buck’s work of contemporary date; or of animals, sometimes alone, and sometimes set in a landscape of such elaboration that one wonders how so great an effect can be packed into the two square inches of paper, which is often the size of the complete silhouette picture. It would be unusual to find so much and such accurate detail in a pen-and-ink drawing; the fact that the picture is cut out with a pair of scissors or a penknife makes it the more extraordinary.
Many professional portrait cutters also cut landscapes, animals, groups of flowers, and other trifles, notably Patience Wright, who accomplished much fine work of this kind, as well as her lovely portraits.
J. Gapp, who worked on the Chain Pier at Brighton, advertised pieces suitable for ladies’ scrap-books. At the end of his trade label are the following words:—“N.B.—A variety of interesting small cuttings for ladies’ scrap-books.” The label from which we take the words is on a full-length profile portrait of a boy in the old Eton School dress.
Much black shade cutting was done at the Court of George III., both in profile portraiture and also in fancy groups and landscapes. Queen Charlotte was an ardent collector, and delighted to have her own portrait taken in shadow, if we can judge by the very large number of pictures of this type which have come down to us. King George III. was no less enthusiastic, and must have sat to every profilist of the day, both professional and amateur. In most of these silhouette portraits the vitality is clearly seen in this “German Princelet of his day,” as Lord Rosebery’s inimitable description has it. The character of the Princelet is as plain to see as if the veritable embodiment of His Majesty were before us, and not alone his shadow picture.
We can imagine that the whole of the Court entourage would feel or assume an interest in the pastime beloved of the royal mistress, the king, and their artistic daughters, whose story one thinks of with mingled feelings of sympathy and interest. Their fair faces on the canvases of Gainsborough, Hoppner, and Beechey haunt us as they gaze from the walls of the royal residences. How each of the six girls must have thought of the suitors which were so long in coming! Their graceful and gracious young days sped away, only half filled by the mild excitements of Court life, with their embroidery, their pencil, brush, and scissor work, cutting the portrait of Fanny Burney, or admiring the family group of the Burney family, and imitating with their amateur scissor-work the elegant curtains and tassels of the professional cutter’s background. Perhaps they showed their efforts to Mrs. Delany, who was living so near to them at Windsor, and had herself been cut by a professional profilist with so great success—the dainty goffered cap with its becoming chin-strap, and a love-knot and wreath are beneath the picture. Did their parents dread the unstable glories of Continental courts for their girls in those revolutionary days? The prudent Queen Charlotte would shudder to think of a repetition of the disastrous Danish marriage of her husband’s young sister, and King George would try to shield his golden-haired girls from such a loveless match as that of his eldest sister, Augusta, to the Duke of Brunswick.
It was Princess Elizabeth, born May 22nd, 1770, whose artistic talents were most marked; she studied with her pencil and brush under various masters until she attained great proficiency. There is a charming portrait of her painted by Edridge, engraved in mezzotint by S. W. Reynolds, Engraver to the King. She is shown pencil in hand, her sketch-book on her knee; her turban, which would be of correct fashion for the present day, only half hides her fair curled hair. Her diaphanous gown is not specially becoming to her ample shape, already showing signs of the enormous proportions she afterwards attained. Fine octagon-shaped brooches adorn her sleeves and breast, a thin scarf is laid over her chair, and on the writing bureau is a work basket, flower vase, and inkstand.
The dedication of the picture runs thus: “Her Royal Highness the Landgravine of Hesse Homburg, dedicated by Permission to His Most Gracious Majesty, William IV., by His Majesty’s devoted Subject and Servant, Edward Harding, Librarian to Her Late Gracious Majesty Queen Charlotte, May 21st, 1830.” Published by E. Hardy, 13, Rochester Terrace, Pimlico.
It was long after irreverent courtiers had ceased to think of the princess as anything but a confirmed spinster that the Prince of Hesse Homburg, of whose person and manners the caustic Creevy paints a very unattractive picture, appeared on the scene, and considerable mirth greeted the news of her engagement at the mature age of 47. The fact that the princess was severely criticised by a censorious world for quitting her aged and dying mother, and that as Landgravine of Hesse Homburg her good qualities were displayed to great advantage, do not concern us here, where we are chiefly concerned in her industry and artistic talents. These were evidently more marked in her than in any other member of her family, and we have read that many of her silhouettes were engraved and published, but we have not been able to trace any of these reproductions.
That the small and very charming single figures or groups were frequently given as souvenirs is certain, for on a specimen we have examined there is an inscription, “H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth was pleased to give me (Lady Bankes) at Windsor, August 27th, 1811, where I had the honour of seeing her by chance.”