This is the first major book about silhouettes since 1978.  The first review of the book says the book is "Beautiful and overflowing with charming illustrations, Rutherford’s book proves full of substance."  The book has arrived and it is visually stunning book with 255 pages packed with beautiful color photographs of silhouettes from museums and private collections and good information about history, techniques, artists, and more.  You don't want to miss this beautiful book!

List price is $65 but I'm offering this book to my faithful readers for $45 plus USPS Priority Shipping $15

Shades of our Ancestors, by Alice Van Leer Carrick (1928)

One of my favorite books, a great read and a wonderful place to learn about American silhouettes and silhouette artists.  Great reference material, lots of good black & white illustrations (plus one beautiful color frontpiece), and the stories will make you fall in love with American silhouettists.  The book is in good condition, very tight, with a little scuffing to the front cover silhouette background (see photo) and yellowing to the pages, especially title page and the edges of many of the pages.  Very nice and tight reference copy.  The front page is inscribed "Mary D. Bartlett" and page 143 has an interesting inscription in the same hand the front page inscription.  The blue ink inscription says "Note-The Dixon family silhouette was done by Edouart in Baltimore, year 1841-in the parlour of their house on Lombard ST. where Jas. Dixon lived first 8 yrs of his married life & then returned "Bloomfield' Talbot Co. Md. where was living until 1890 when it was inherited by R.B. Dixon & hung at "North Bend" for 88 yrs. - It is now in the possession of Robert Dixon Bartlett Jr. after his death 1960 it is owned by Robert Dixon Bartlett Jr."

(#4526)   Sale Pending

This is the Bible about Edouart.  If you collect Edouart's silhouettes, you want to collect his silhouettes, or you just want to learn more about him, you must have this seminal book by the woman who researched him, conserved his water-logged folios that went down with the ship, and gave us more information than one could have ever hoped to have.  This is a good copy, with a slight wrinkle to the front cover and a sun-faded spine.  But the binding is tight and all pages are tight and accounted for.  The only markings I've found in the book are pencil inscriptions on the inside cover page and the inside back cover.  Hard copy, 239 pages, 63 glossy black & white plates illustrating 230 silhouettes.  Appendices include Mrs. Jackson's complete listing of silhouette found in Edouart's rescued folios.  This is the most complete list of his work that we have.  I seldom find a good copy that I can offer to you at a good price.  A good copy of this book generally sells for more than $150 (in fact they are usually $175 and up).  I'm pleased to be able to offer this very good copy for $115.  Catch it while you can!

(#4999)    Sale Pending

British Silhouette Artists and their Work, by Sue McKechnie (1978)

This is the Bible of silhouette research....the seminal work....whatever other superlatives can be attached to a reference book....  Ms. McKechnie devoted her adult life to the study of antique silhouettes.  This comprehensive book is 799 pages of information and tons of images (it weighs a ton, too).  It catalogs every trade label and signature known and recorded at the time of its publication.  It discusses individual artists, the history of silhouettes, frames, jewelry, and has a large chapter detailing costumes of the periods (this is my best source for dating silhouettes and portraits).  Lucky for us, Ms. McKechnie even devoted a chapter to artists working in America!  If you are building a collection of silhouettes, or selling or appraising silhouettes, you've gotta have this book!  I apologize in advance for the price.  This book as gotten extremely hard to find.  I looked for months for a copy that I could offer at what I finally had to decide was a "reasonable" rate.  Believe me, if you are serious about silhouettes, this will be your go-to book.  Please also note that the book weighs more than 8 pounds and will be costly to ship....but it is really, really worth it!  This copy is in excellent condition with a little overall yellowing to the dust jacket.

(#4621)     $385

I just acquired a very reasonably price copy of this important book.  This copy doesn't have the dust jacket that you see in the photo, so you see the green hard cover with a small oval bust-length silhouette of a woman on the front.  The spine has silver lettering and a full length silhouette of a man.   There is a bit of sun fading in various places on the front & back covers and the spine.  It is an ex-library copy so it has the library's various identification marks.  But, the book is in excellent condition.  This is the Bible of silhouette research and here is a very affordable, very nice copy.  It would be a great holiday gift!  Do remember that this book will be costly to ship because it's so heavy.

(#4788)     Sale Pending

Silhouettes A History and Dictionary of Artists, by Mrs. E. Nevill Jackson (1989)

A necessary staple if you want a reasonably priced reference for silhouette artists.  Mrs. Jackson was the collector who started the trend of collecting antique silhouettes.  She spent a good part of her life researching the art of 18th and 19th century silhouette cutting and the artists who produced this great art form for the masses and the aristocracy alike.  You will find yourself running over and over to the "Dictionary of Artists in Silhouette" which encompasses about one-third of this wonderful book.  Lots of good black & white illustrations.  Original softcover.  Published in 1989 as a unabridged republication of the 1938 Silhouette:  Notes and Dictionary.  This copy is in very good condition with some yellowing to the pages and front cover.  The front cover has a few edge scuffs as seen in the photo.

(#4525)     $40

Silhouettes in America, 1790-1840: A Collector's Guide, by Blume J. Rifken (1987)

Another of my favorite reference books, this little book includes a very important chapter on dating silhouette from clothing.  You'll pull it out again and again for that chapter!  It's packed with illustrations of great American silhouettes.  Ms. Rifken seems to lean a bit towards the folky silhouettes (which I love) and she illustrates what I think are some of the most creative silhouettes made.  This is a very nice copy that looks as if it has never been read.  The pages of the book are good, clean and unbent as is the spine.  The only slight apology is that the front cover has a bit of fading on the left-hand side.  Very good, apparently unused copy, with cover is a little faded due to sun exposure (the photo is a stock photo, not the actual copy--if you want a photo of this actual copy to see the fading to the cover, please email me).

(#5018)    $85

I've read this book cover to cover, several times.  I find it fascinating and thorough in its information about portrait miniatures and mourning miniatures in America.  The book is only 7" x 5" in outside dimensions but is packed with 376 pages of text and 189 illustrations (166 of them in glorious color).  The text is well-written and authoritative and the color images are plentiful, beautiful and of great use for comparisons.  This is a wonderful reference book and a fun read.  Currently, I am offering an unread copy with a few scuffs on the dust jacket.

(#4810)    $40

A Loving Likeness American Folk Portraits of the Nineteenth Century, by Marna Anderson (1992).

This is one of my favorite books on folk portraits!  This book represents the exhibit catalog of the 1992 exhibit of Raymond & Susan Egan's folk art collection at The Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb.  It includes beautiful photographs of portraits and silhouettes of some of the most important American folk portrait artists of the 19th century.  Brief biographical information is given for known artists within the collection as well as characteristics which help identify of the artist's work.  The book is thin, but it has 60 information-packed pages and all of the many photos are in color.  You will find yourself going back to this book over and over again for reference.  If you collect folk portraits, you need this book! 

This is a very good copy with a little scuffing to the covers and a slight crease in the top quarter of the back cover.  Other than the minor cover scuffs, the book is in great condition with no marks to any pages.  It does not have the supplement.  Good copies of this book are getting increasingly hard to find and increasingly expensive.  It's a great reference book!

(#4316)     $70

This is a near mint copy of the book with the eight page, full color supplement.  Only condition issue is minor edge/handling wear.  Unmarked interior.  This book is becoming increasingly hard to find.  It is nearly impossible to find any copy with the supplement, which is worth the extra money.

(#4845)    $100

This is another of my favorite books on folk portraits from the museum which, in my opinion, has the largest and most complete folk art collection in the country.  A real go-to reference book with wonderful illustrations of portraits by the most important American folk portraitists.  I use this book at least weekly in my research.  It has 97 color and 240 black & white illustrations.  The book reads like a Who's Who of early American folk art and also includes lots of images and details of work by unidentified artists.  This is a must-have.

This is a copy in excellent condition that looks like it is in unused condition.  Very little yellowing of the pages, mostly those at the back of the book.  Very nice dust jacket with only some minor, inevitable scratches seen only when held at an angle to the light.  Tight binding.  Sticker on inside cover page with name of earlier owner.  Top notch copy...considering what a hard time I had finding such a great copy to offer at a below market price you should snap this up!

(#5016)    $50

This is a near mint copy of a beautiful and very useful reference book.  This great book is divided by centuries and has great color illustrations and biographical essays covering the lives the most important American folk artists of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as John Brewster, Jr., Rufus Hathaway, Joseph H. Davis, James Sanford Ellsworth, Ammi Phillips, Rufus Porter, and Horace Pippin to name just a few of the 37 chronicled artists.   The 150 color illustrations include American folk masterpieces that were included in a major exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.  The book also includes additional black & white illustrations of great paintings.  This is an indispensable reference and pictorial source for everyone who loves American folk art.

This is a very nice copy, looks like it has never been read.  Good tight spine, no markings that I can find inside.  The dust jacket is in really good condition except for a long scratch and small scrape at about 9 o'clock

(#5002)     $25

Wonderful reference book of American folk painting of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.  Bishop describes and illustrates two broad categories of folk painting:  "pictures that recorded people, places, and time, and paintings that decorated essentially utiltarian objects, such as signs, fireboards, mantels, room ends, floors and floor carpets, windowshades, walls, ceilings, and furniture."  This seminal book covers those two broad categories with wonderfully written text and more than 400 illustrations (70 in color).  Chapters are split into geographical areas to help you identify trends that carried through the centuries in those areas.  This is a wonderful book that I go to often in my research.  It covers well-known and little-known artists.  You'll love having it in your library.

This is a very good copy of the book with no markings on the pages and a good tight spine.  The dust jacket is in good condition with scraping on the spine (of the dust jacket, not the book) and small tears and bends along the top and bottom edges.

(#5004)    $25

The Flowering of American Folk Art (1776-1876), Jean Lipman & Alice Winchester (1974).

This is a landmark book of American folk art illustrating more than 400 outstanding examples of folk art produced during the period of its finest flowering. The objects shown in this book were selected from more than 10,000 examples owned by institutions, collectors, and dealers. This book documents the first major exhibition to survey the entire range of American folk art. Four major categories of works are represented: pictures that are painted, drawn, and stitched; sculpture; architectural decoration; and decorated household objects. Of the 400 illustrations, 100 are in color. Additionally, there are brief essays on each type of object; detailed captions for each work; biographical notes on the artist; and a selected bibliography.  This is a go-to reference book for anyone who collects American folk art.

This copy is on very good condition with a tight binding and unmarked pages.  The edges of the pages are yellowed and a few have single spot stains (very small) but all are good.  The dust jacket is torn at the top and bottom edges.  There is a 2 1/2" tear to the upper right corner of the front of the dust jacket that has been repaired with tape on the inside of the jacket.  The inside cover has a label with the former owner's name.

(#5005)     $25

This is a favorite book of mine for reference on collecting Americana of all types.  Nina Fletcher Little and Bertram Little were pioneers in collecting American antiques and America was lucky that Ms. Little was a wonderful research-hound and writer.  She literally "wrote the book" on collecting.  This fabulous book (which is also a fun read) recounts the Little's collecting from the time they caught the bug in the 1920s until their collection was one of the best in the country in the 1980s.  She recounts collecting and learning about clocks, ceramics, furniture, textiles, nautical paintings and ship figureheads, decoys and other folk carving, fireboards and overmantle paintings, and one of the best, most extensive collections of folk portraits ever assembled in a private collection.  Really, the list is just a sampling--they collected and researched almost every aspect of American Decorative Arts.  This is a beautiful soft cover book of 292 pages packed with information, fun stories, and incredible color and black & white photographs.  This is a very fine copy of the book with slightly bent corners but super clean and tight.  It is a very good reference you will run to again and again.

(#4166)     $25

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