William H. Brown

A first edition copy of this remarkable collection of silhouette portraits of prominent politicians and leaders, created by scissors artist William H. Brown.

• William H. Brown (American).
• Hartford: E. B. and E. C. Kellogg, 1846.
• 110 pages.
• Illustrated with three-color lithograph frontispiece and 25 black and yellow lithograph plates with paper guards, with 26 lithograph letter facsimiles. 
• Bound in publisher's quarter goatskin cloth boards with gilt pictorial stamping and gilt top edge.

As William H. Brown notes in his introduction, Revolutionary figures have always carried an outsized influence on America's history and portraiture. In Portrait Gallery of Distinguished American Citizens, Brown strove to add 19th century icons to the pantheon of US history, expanding it in the style of the then-mainstream the Great Man Theory of history. His selection of the silhouette as his art form of choice for this work is striking: as photography became more popular in the mid-19th century, silhouettes were quickly falling out of favor. But Brown was known for pushing the boundaries of the form, leading silhouettes to enjoy "a period of popularity, when [they] were considered the quintessential contemporary snapshots of public and private life" (K.S., 103).

An example of Brown's artistry—and what gives these images an unexpectedly modern feel—is the setting of his portraits: his dark, flat silhouettes have been placed within realistic backgrounds depicted using traditional techniques of perspective. It is as though these men have been distilled to their essential form, with sparse details added in faint white pencil, yet still exist within the real world. A stunning antebellum project of mythologizing American history.