The word silhouette is derived from the name of Étienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister who, in 1759, was forced by France's credit crisis during the Seven Years' War to impose severe economic demands u… See more

Pliny the Elder recounts the history of painting in books 34 and 35 of his Natural History (ca. 77 CE). In book 35, chapter 5, he writes of silhouette as a starting point in the development of painting:
"We have n… See more

Since the late 18th century, silhouette artists have also made small scenes cut from card and mounted on a contrasting background like the portraits. These pictures, known as "paper cuts", were often, but n… See more

The word "silhouette", because it implies the outline of a form, has been used in both fashion and fitness to describe the outline shape of the body from a particular angle, as altered by clothing in fashion usage, and clothed or … See more