Today, a silhouette is the outline of an object. But when the word was first used, it meant a shadow portrait, an all-black drawing that resembled the shadow of the object or person being drawn. Some artists made silhouettes by cutting out figures from black paper and mounting them against a lighter background.
In 1759, Etienne de Silhouette became the minister of France in charge of finances, and he put into effect new taxes against the wealthy.
He also tried to cut back the amount of money spent by the king and his household. So, the French began to use the phrase a la silhouette to mean “cheaply.”
Since cut-out shadow portraits were thought to be “cheap art” and since Silhouette himself made cut-out shadow portraits as a hobby, these portraits became known as silhouettes!
Related Posts
-
Where does the word “silhouette” come from and What does silhouette mean?
France was ill prepared when, at the outbreak of the Seven Years' War in 1756, Louis XV plunged his government into the conflict. Under the domination of his mistress, Madame de Pompadour, the…
-
Who Is the Man In the Moon and What Is the Best Way To See the Man In the Moon At Home With a Flashlight?
We've almost all seen him, the Man in the Moon. His bright, benign face shines down on Earth around the time of the full moon. But he isn't really there. This demonstration will…
-
How Did Old Man Yu Move Mountains In Chinese Mythology and Why Did the Gods Help Old Man Yu?
According to Chinese mythology, an old man called Yu lived in the shadow of two enormous mountains. Everyday, Yu had to detour around the mountains in order to walk to the village. Finally,…
-
Who was Kennewick Man and Where did Kennewick Man come from?
In July 1996, a college student stumbled upon something remarkable on the banks of the Columbia River in Washington State: a human skeleton that was more than 9,000 years old. Named Kennewick Man…
-
What was the Neanderthal man named after and what does it mean in Greek?
The first fossils of our long-dead relative Neanderthal were discovered in 1856 in the Neander Thal, or "Neander Valley" in Germany, so he became known as Neanderthal Man. The Neander Thal was named…
-
Why is the Portuguese Man of War Named after a War Ship from the 16th Century and Where does it Live?
From the 16th century Portugal was a world naval power, and the man-of-war was a large war ship armed with cannons and propelled mainly by sails and not by oars. The man-of-war was…
