Antique American Folk Silhouette from Collection of the Late Henderson Supplee--In the Manner of the Recycle Artist

Peggy McClard Antiques

Americana & Folk Art

	This is a painted silhouette done "in the manner of" a wonderful and rarely found American silhouettist whom I have dubbed the "Recycle Artist". The American folk artist whose work this silhouette is based always hollow cut his or her whimsical three-quarter body length silhouettes into painted chairs. The chairs are always curved back wooden chairs with paint decoration and what appears to be upholstery between the side and top rails of the chair. I have seen less than fifteen silhouettes by this anonymous artist, including this one. I was lucky enough to acquire five recently from the same collection (although I believe that another young woman from the collection is done "after" the Recycle Artist--she will be listed today also). The Henry Luce Center Collection (a study center of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) owns a pair which is supposedly from Philadelphia and done in 1823. A single woman by this hand is illustrated in the book, A Loving Likeness American Folk Portraits of the Nineteenth Century, at page 56. This artist apparently always depicted his sitters in a paint decorated chair. All of the sitters that I have seen are holding books. Women have bonnets or combs and dress collars with watercolor embellishment. This was a "green" artist who practiced recycling. Although I found no obviously recycled materials in the five recently acquired silhouettes, the background paper of the previously sold man was a letter-press handbill that had been painted black. The background paper on the pair in my collection is hand-blocked wallpaper of which the artist painted the verso black. However, I must make clear that this silhouette is based upon the Recycle Artist's work but is not done by the Recycle Artist. This specific silhouette is fully painted (not cut). The work is a bit fancier than the Recycle Artist's work, with a more refined chair, with a slight scroll to the top of the chair side rails, solid colored with paint decoration of flowers and leaves across the back rails. Her hands are a bit more realistically formed. But, if you want the look of the Recycle Artist without the price, this is a good silhouette for you. She wears a high hair comb and the edges of her up-do are painted with a light, feathery feel. She holds a closed blue book in her hand. Her white lace collar is well painted. Her profile is beautiful. I believe, however, that she was probably done in the early decades of the 20th century as a reproduction. I don't usually offer silhouettes from the 20th century, but she came with a collection of five silhouettes I purchased, purportedly by the Recycle Artist. This is the only one of that group of five that is not 19th century. She is, however, in a period gilt frame and has sat behind the current églomisé glass mat for many years. The frame gilding has darkened and there are some losses to the gilding in the upper right and lower left corners. The reverse painting of the églomisé has stuck to the silhouette paper a little along the bottom edge. Framed size is 7 1/2" x 6 1/4". I have inserted 100% acetate between the silhouette and the wood backboard of the frame. (#5007) Sale Pending Provenance: ex-Henderson & Mary Baker Supplee. Henderson Supplee Jr. ("Wooz") was the V.P., then President and ultimately Chairman of the Board of Arco. He was responsible for revitalizing Arco and played an important part in merging Arco into Atlantic Richfield Co. He graduated in the Princeton Class of 1926 and was married to his wife Mary Osborne Baker from 1928 until his death in 1992.




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