Silhouette of Nathaniel Babson of Gloucester, Massachusetts 1828 - 1883

This likeness of Nathaniel Babson, of Gloucester, Massachusetts, was crafted by William Henry Brown, using cut paper mounted on lithograph. Silhouettes like these were a popular form of portraiture in the 19th century, offering a relatively inexpensive way to capture a person's likeness. Brown’s method was particularly clever. By mounting the silhouette on a lithograph, he added a sense of depth and context, placing his subject in a recognizable domestic space. The lithographic process itself – involving the transfer of an image from stone to paper – was a relatively new technology at the time, indicative of the growing industrialization of image production. Consider how the stark black silhouette contrasts with the detailed lithographed background, emphasizing Babson's presence while also reminding us of the manufactured nature of the scene. The man's upright posture and attire signal his status, but it is the mechanically produced print that embeds him within a specific social milieu of class and commerce. This work blurs the lines between handmade and mass-produced, suggesting a shift in how identities were being crafted and consumed in the 19th century.