Silhouette by Mr W Seville

This silhouette was cut by either Mr FW Seville or his father, Mr W Seville. They worked in the period 1818-1845 and there is considerable detail within the McKechnie reference, primarily on page 269. The Sevilles came from Manchester and executed portrait miniatures on ivory, as well as silhouette profiles. They worked from 1819 and travelled as itinerant artists, charging according to the number of shades within the silhouette and whether it was a profile or a full length picture. Bronzed was extra. Generally, the coarser application of gold work was done by the father – W Seville – as represented here. The trade label is No 4 and dates the image to the early 1830s.