Silhouette

Title:

Samuel Ayer Bradley

Object Name:

Silhouette

Object ID:

1938.008.24

Creator:

Hubard, William J. (1807-1862)Artist

Place of Origin:

Boston, MA

Date:

1825

Description:

Silhouette of Samuel Ayer Bradley (1774-1844), by William J. Hubard (1807-1862), Boston, MA; 1825. Pen and ink and ink wash and gilding on paper. Full-length standing silhouette of a man in profile to left. Subject wears top hat and is walking with two canes. Ink wash used to model ground and gilding to highlight sitter's clothing. Pencil inscription paper reverse: "S. A. Bradley". Pencil inscription on backing board: "Cut with scissors by / Master Hubard the english (sic) Boy / cut 1825", "Col. Bradley / Exchange Coffee / House". Tape label with ink inscription frame reverse: " Gift of M. Jewell / 1933 / Samuel/ Bradley". Gilded molded wood frame, glazed.

Material:

Ink
Metal
Paper

Dimensions:

H-10.2 W-7.3 inches

Provenance:

Samuel Ayer Bradley, son of Hon. John and Hanna (Ayer) Bradley. Born November 22, 1774, in Concord, NH. Died September 24, 1844, Fryeburg, ME. Read law with Judge Samuel Green of Concord. Graduated from Dartmouth College in 1799.

"The recent victim of a chaise accident caused by a frightened horse, fifty-year old Bradley wrote to Concord, NH, relatives in 1824 that his knee had been dislocated 'in a most frightful manner.' With the help of five men under his direction, the injured Bradley was able to 'with [his] own hands, press the knee joint into place.' While recuperating he feared that he 'should always be a cripple,' and this silhouette testifies that for some time he depended upon two canes." From label in accession file.

The artist, William J. Hubard, visited Boston at age 17 and rented a room at the Exchange Coffee House, "where for fifty cents he could cut your likeness in twenty seconds. He called his art 'Papyrolamia.' " E. S. Bolton, Wax Portraits and Silhouettes p. 37.
A "whole length" portrait silhouette from Hubard ranged from $1.25 to $4.00 depending on the amount of finishing and bronze work.

Credit Line:

Gift of Margaret H. Jewell

People:

Bradley, Samuel Ayer (1774-1844), Hubard, William J. (1807-1862), Jewell, Margaret H. (1866-1970)

Subjects:

Bradley, Samuel Ayer, Silhouettes