Moses Williams (1777-ca.1825) was an African-American artist remembered as a “cutter of profiles” who made thousands of silhouettes at the Peale Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Williams was an enslaved person in the Peale household who was freed in 1802 before his 28th birthday. Macculloch Hall Historical Museum has in its collection silhouettes attributed to the Peale Museum and thought to have been made by Moses Williams.
Silhouette of Mary Howell
Silhouette of Thomas Poultney, Jr.
Silhouettes were an inexpensive way to have an image of yourself or a loved one before the invention of photography.
Homemade silhouettes still provide an inexpensive way to make a keepsake or gift by following the instructions from one of the websites listed below.
Resources
https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/easy-kids-diy-art-silhouette-portraits
Topic: Art, History
Age / Level: 1, Primary, Elementary