Silhouetportret van Abraham Rutgers van der Loeff 1809 - 1848

This silhouette portrait of Abraham Rutgers van der Loeff was made by Pieter Barbiers the fourth. It’s made by cutting away the paper around the sitter’s profile to create a negative space. The effect here is crisp and immediate. Silhouette portraits like this were a popular, relatively inexpensive alternative to painted portraiture, and the rise of this artform is linked to the broader societal shifts in the 18th and 19th centuries, with a growing middle class eager to participate in the culture of portraiture. The process relied on skilled handwork, but the starkness of the medium also has a leveling effect. The sitter’s likeness is captured, but without the subtleties of light and shadow, it's inherently abstract. The silhouette democratized portraiture while also reflecting the burgeoning consumer culture of the time. It reminds us that even the simplest of materials and processes can carry significant social and cultural weight.