Birthday Boy and Silhouette Man

Happy birthday, Josh! April 27th is here, and I can reveal your present, which has been tucked away inside this drawer:

Here's a clue:

It's from this photo.

And here it is: 


Happy Birthday!



It was made by Tim Arnold, a.k.a. "The Silhouette Man." He's been cutting silhouettes for over thirty years, is recommended by The Smithsonian, and cut silhouettes of President George H. W. Bush's three grandchildren as a birthday gift for Barbara Bush. 

I've been in touch with the Arnolds over the past few weeks after dialing Tim's number to ask a question. His wife answered the phone, and before I knew it, I was enrolled in Silhouettes 101 (with an extremely knowledgeable and lovely teacher).

I learned that Margaret's silhouette is cut from "black carbon embedded cotton paper on archival quality mounting paper that won't yellow with age." The detail is remarkable. In fact, Tim has become known for his accuracy and beautiful interior detailing...created by inside cuts of the paper. 

Mrs. Arnold explained that Tim's silhouettes are of the French Embellishment Style which originated in the 1700s by a man named Mr. Silhouette. He created silhouettes as a form of portraiture before the invention of photography. This particular style traditionally includes the entire bust of the subject, though Tim creates special order silhouettes, as well. It's worth taking a look at the "samples" page  of his website!

I think it's beautiful and Josh, I'm hoping you'll really love it, too. Love you and happy birthday!