Collection of Three Silhouette Foil Pictures for your consideration. The largest framed silhouette picture measures approx. 9 3/4 inches X 12 3/4 inches and approx. 3/8 of an inch thick. The two smaller framed silhouette pictures each measure approx. 7 3/4 inches X 11 7/8 inches and approx. 3/8 of an inch thick. American; Frederick, Maryland, first half 20th Century. By artist Helen L. Smith (1894-1997), Reliance, R.P.F. & Co, New York & Chicago. Art Deco. Reverse painted scenes against foil backing, each in original frames. A procession of a woman’s life shown in three silhouette pictures, description of each as follows: 1.) A young maiden picking flowers from an overhead branch, 2.) A husband & wife passing through an arbor in a garden setting, as the woman is bent down smelling some flowers, 3.) An older woman walking away from an overhead floral branch, with a basket of flowers in her right arm, while holding a solitary flower in her left hand. All three silhouettes are signed in bottom right corner, “Smith Frederick”. Good vintage condition. Shows wear commensurate with age. See photos. Displays precious!
History about the artist: These “Smith Frederick” signed silhouettes are painted on glass in reverse with foil under the glass to present a “pearly quality which makes it spring to life.” Born in 1894, Helen L. Smith attended the Maryland Institute of Art from 1912 to 1916, receiving a degree in “Commercial Art.” She taught art at Hood College for eight years. In 1925, Smith opened her own art shop in Frederick, Maryland. Her art included paintings in watercolor, oil, pencil, and ink. Smith became an expert in the painting of coat of arms, of which she produced more than 10,000. She produced the same number of miniatures and silhouettes throughout her long career. Helen Smith died in 1997 at the age of 103. -Boundary County Museum
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