RISD Artists: Francis Quirk, Kara Walker and the Silhouette Art Form

In a 1925 article in The Evening Tribune there is a mention of a seventeen-year-old Francis Quirk executing silhouettes at a Providence, RI church fair. Since his father was a devout Roman Catholic, it is hard to ascertain how he wound up at a Baptist Church preparing souvenirs for the cause. But it is worth discussing this largely lost art form and how it survives today in the thought-provoking work of his fellow Rhode Island School of Design graduate Kara Walker.

Silhouettes were a popular art form in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries because they were accurate, inexpensive, quick to make and easy to send to a friend or relative. 

Scholars believe French Finance Minister Etienne de Silhouette’s name became connected with these black and white portraits because of his extreme frugality and cost-cutting. Referring to his penny-pinching efforts, affordable items were often labeled "à la Silhouette." Earlier names for silhouettes included shades, profiles or shadow pictures. The more sophisticated sounding "silhouette" was popularized in the United States and England by artists who wanted to make their cut out portraits stand out from the common sounding shades.

The earliest known mention of a silhouette in America was in a 1769 letter from Harriott Pinckney: "Thos. Wollaston has summon'd me today, to put the finishing strokes to my shadow, which straightens me for time." By the end of the 18th century silhouette makers had established studios in cities, and many traveled to offer their services to smaller towns. Artists distinguished themselves from the competition through advertisements in the local newspaper that promoted the artist's speed, accuracy and innovative technique. While some artists used only scissors and possibly paint to create their clients' portraits, many others employed a mechanical device, known as a physiognotrace, to trace and simultaneously reduce the sitter's profile. Beginning in 1802, Charles Willson Peale placed a physiognotrace in his Philadelphia museum. Visitors could use the device themselves or pay Moses Williams, Peale's slave, to operate the physiognotrace for them. The device was an enormous success, and more than 8,500 silhouettes were cut in the first year. Williams made enough money from the service to buy his freedom.

As photography became more common in the mid 19th century, silhouettes fell out of fashion. But they remained in use through the 1960's. This blog's author recalls seeing recently-made silhouettes of relatives in his grandmother's house during the 1960's. And while traveling in Europe in the 1980's an enterprising and impressively skilled street artisan quickly prepared one for him.

One of the readers of this blog graciously alerted us an image of one of Francis Quirk's silhouettes that we had featured in an earlier post. In this case the work appears to be drawn, not cut, as the shirt collar is not shaded. 

A Silhouette of a Woman by Francis Quirk (undated)

We know that Quirk had a keen eye and a fast hand as he could execute drawings without lifting his pen from the paper.

But, in the early 2000's while visiting New York, I learned that the art of the silhouette was far from dead at an installation by Kara Walker. Her graphic outlines touched on race and power in the institution of slavery in America's South. The exhibit was impactful, innovative and artistic. I admired her great creativity and skilled execution as she has carved out a niche for herself in a crowded art world.

Kara Walker is best known for her candid investigation of race, gender, sexuality, and violence through silhouetted figures that have appeared in numerous prominent exhibitions.

Installation of a piece by Kara Walker

Born in Stockton, California in 1969, Walker was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She studied at the Atlanta College of Art (BFA, 1991) and the Rhode Island School of Design (MFA, 1994). She is the recipient of many awards, notably the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Achievement Award in 1997 and the United States Artists, Eileen Harris Norton Fellowship in 2008. In 2012, Walker became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Walker’s major survey exhibition, Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love, was organized by The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis where it premiered in February 2007 before traveling to prominent museums around the world.

As a special project of the 2015 Venice Biennale, Walker was selected as director, set and costume designer for the production of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma at Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Italy.

There are a surprising number of similarities between Quirk and Walker. Both graduated from RISD, both won numerous awards, both held positions in academia.