The ledger book of silhouette artist William Bage provides a rare glimpse into the diverse individuals of early 1800s America, including famous figures and everyday people.
Silhouette portraits, made popular by the physiognatrace machine, democratized portraiture in the early 1800s, allowing people from all walks of life to have their profiles made.
Deep dives
The Legacy of William Bage: Portraits and Arsenic in a 200-Year-Old Book
William Bage, a silhouette artist, created a famous ledger book that preserved the faces of people from the early 1800s. The book contains over 1,800 profiles, capturing the diverse individuals of the time. Bage traveled from town to town, offering affordable silhouette portraits using his physiognatrace machine. The book not only reveals the faces of the wealthy and famous but also includes portraits of everyday people, including soldiers, farmers, children, household servants, and even enslaved individuals. Notably, the book is also infused with arsenic, a common household product during that era. The preservation of these profiles provides a unique glimpse into a moment in American history where art and portraiture played a crucial role in capturing the identity of a newly formed nation.
The Significance of Silhouette Portraits in the 19th Century
Before the invention of photography, obtaining a portrait was a lengthy and expensive process, reserved for the wealthy few. Silhouette portraits, made popular by the physiognatrace machine, changed this dynamic by offering an affordable and accurate method for capturing one's profile. Silhouette portraits became a cultural phenomenon in the early 1800s, as people sought direct and truthful representations of themselves in a culture of suspicion and a desire for transparency. These silhouettes democratized portraiture, allowing people from all walks of life to have their profiles made.
Uncovering Stories Through William Bage's Ledger Book
Robin Ozzleson and Carolyn Hough embarked on a mission to identify the individuals in William Bage's ledger book. Through meticulous research, they discovered the stories behind many of the profiles. The book contains portraits of famous figures such as politicians, artists, and military personnel, as well as lesser-known individuals whose lives intersected in complex ways. The ledger book offers a glimpse into the diverse social fabric of 19th-century America, showcasing the intertwined stories of free individuals, enslaved people, and the relationships that evolved in a society steeped in slavery. The preservation of these profiles provides a valuable resource for understanding the historical connections and networks that shaped that era.
Before the invention of photography, only the rich could afford to have portraits of themselves. But in the early 1800s, a device called the physiognotrace democratized portraiture, making it possible or everyday people to have their images captured in silhouettes. A man named William Bache traveled the United States creating hundreds of silhouette portraits with the aid of the physiognotrace, leaving behind a ledger book that gives us a rare glimpse of early America. A ledger book…laced with poison.
Guests
Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Nora Lockshin, senior conservator for archives at the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
Wendy Bellion, Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art History, and associate dean for the humanities at the University of Delaware
Carolyn Hauk, doctoral student in the art history department of the University of Delaware, former intern at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
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