The Silhouette

INTRODUCTION

I- A NEW WORD, A NEW LINE
i. The Invention of the Word "Silhouette" (18th century)
ii. The Art of "Silhouetting"
iii. From Shaded Faces to Shaded Figures

II- FROM THE MEZZOTINT TO THE ROMANTIC AESTHETIC
i. The Enlightenment and the Emergence of Morphology
ii. Before the "Silhouette": Early Incarnations
iii. The Quest for Detail: The Triumph of the "Full-Length" Profile Portrait
iv. The Complex and Curious Realm of the Shadow
v. The Romantic Perspective

III- INNOVATIONS IN GRAPHIC ART
i. A Process Expands: Press and Image
ii. A Word Expands: Physical and Moral Significance
iii. The Silhouette: A Social "Museum" in the 19th Century
iv. The "Invention" of Morphology
v. The Silhouette: an Academic Approach
vi. The Silhouette and Fashion in the Romantic Era
vii. A Wealth of Creativity in Graphic Art
viii. From the Press to the Poster

IV- THE ART OF EXPRESSION
i. Photography and Figures in Motion
ii. The Female Contour: from Slender to Erotic
iii. The Nude Becomes "Commonplace"
iv. The Honing of the Female Form
v. A Growing Personal Imperative
vi. The Honing of the Male Form
viii. The Theme of Decline
ix. The Quest to Classify
x. The Tragic Danger of "Race"
xi. The Realms of Expression and Information
xii. Between Curves and Muscles
xiii. The Emergence of Psychology: The Dawn of a Cult?

V- THE CONTEMPORARY SILHOUETTE
i. Radical Changes in the Figure
ii. The Challenge of Identity
iii. The Silhouette: The Mastery and Weakness of the Body

CONCLUSION

Notes
Index
Photographic credits

Georges Vigarello is a historian and sociologist. He is a Research Director at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France.