SILHOUETTES (Fr., Silhouettes ; Ger., Schat tenbilder) Black profile portraits (as A) showing outline only and no details, so-called from the French man Etienne de Silhouette. They may be pro duced photographically, as shown in B. A white sheet B is hung in an open doorway ; the room being darkened, the sitter n is posed in pro file in the room and against the sheet, the camera Z being in the room as shown. A short exposure is given, and a strong developer used in order to procure a negative showing the black (clear glass in the negative) profile against a perfectly white (black in the negative) back ground. A longer exposure will produce faint details, but these are not required in a true sil houette. At night, flashlight may be used be hind the sheet and the same effect produced. The curve at the bottom of the silhouette picture is obtained by painting over the bare glass on the negative with opaque pigment or by covering it with red or black paper. Full-length figures
may also be taken.
Another and a widely used method of taking silhouettes is shown in sketch C. Two dark screens A are placed parallel to one another, and a white background B is placed so as to catch the light from the window C. The sitter D is then placed between the screens so as not to catch the direct light from the window ; the camera is placed at z, and a dark cloth or cur tain is thrown over the screens so as to form a tunnel. The sitter is in the shade, while a brilliant light falls upon the background. Focus ing must be accurate in order that the outlines of the figure may be perfectly sharp. Any printing process may be used, but one giving a black-and-white effect is best.