George and Martha Washington

My dad found these in a box of family things. He is 93 and does not know anything about them. The glass does not have bubbles in it. The silhouettes are cut and pasted onto a light background. I figure a lot of these would have been made over the years. I'm interested in your thoughts and opinions.

My images show when I edit, but not when I post.

 

I would think those were done during your father's lifetime. Why don't you open them up (carefully) and see if any information to be found inside?

Debora

 

They do appear to be from the first half of the 20th century, to my eye. Silhouettes were common decor in the middle class home.

 

Are these also called cameo art?

 

I have looked inside them. Nothing there.

I know they were commonly done as inexpensive alternatives to portraits from about 1790 to about 1840. But something like this of the first president and his wife have been made for a long time. I was hoping the fabric hang tabs might provide a clue. My dad doesn't remember seeing them in any family homes before.

 

To my purist mind, a flat silhouette wouldn't/shouldn't be called cameo art... I consider those to be 3D. But... who knows, LOL. @Bronwen?

 

No, cut paper silhouettes are not cameos, which, by definition, are in relief.