ISAAC TODD (AMERICAN, EARLY 19TH CENTURY) HOLLOW-CUT SILHOUETTE, paper, a bust-length depiction of a young woman with watercolor highlights to her hair, embossed "Todd's Patent" to paper below figure. Old inscription verso "Eliza? Curry / 1779-1829 / Our great grandmother". Housed under glass in a period frame with embossed gilt metal cover. Possibly executed in Charleston, SC. Early 19th century. 3 1/4" x 2 1/2" sight, 5 1/4" x 4 1/2" OA.
Provenance: From a private Albemarle Co., VA collection.
Catalogue Note: Isaac Tood (active, early 19th century) was a prolific, but somewhat elusive, silhouette artist in the first decades of the 19th century. He is recorded working in 1805 with T. P. Jones in New York City, and in 1807 he advertised his services in Charleston, South Carolina, stating that "[a]ll profiles will be stamped with Todd's Patent" and that he had perfected his craft after nearly "four years in New York, Baltimore, Alexandria, New Orleans, and several small towns". Todd appears to have been advertising his work with the physiognotrace as early as 1804 in Alexandria, Virginia. The Athenaeum in Boston owns the artist's portfolio which contains nearly 1,800 duplicate silhouettes along with the names of each and every sitter. Unfortunately, we have not been able to definitively identify the sitter of the present lot, "Eliza? Curry", but possible candidates do exist in Charleston or greater South Carolina during what is believed to be the artist's working period there.
Condition
Good condition with minor toning and areas of staining to edges.