Ribboned Cap

With her hair arranged in a small loop on the nape of her neck, this lady wears a cap trimmed with lace and ribbon bows. The profile has been hollow-cut and is backed in the traditional way with blackened paper. It resides in an oval ebonised frame.

Working between 1772 and 1787, Mrs Sarah Harrington took up silhouette cutting in later life, successfully patenting her method of producing profiles in 1775. She regularly went on tour and always attracted a steady clientele. She was a well-educated lady and advocated the education of women, even giving geography lessons to young ladies. Her work is often recognisable by the defined eyelash and the style of the bust-line termination.