O'Driscoll, Stephen

Introduction:

Stephen O’Driscoll was a skilled cutter who worked primarily in Cork, as both a silhouette artist and cartoonist. He specialised in group portraits against lithographs, and produced profiles of many high-profile Cork residents.

Information about Stephen O’Driscoll comes mainly from a note and newspaper cutting attached to one example of his work. It states he was born around 1825 in Cork, Ireland and became apprenticed as a lithographer on the South Mall, Cork. It has been speculated that he became acquainted with the more famous silhouettist Augustin Edouart through his early work as a lithographer, though this has not been proven. O’Driscoll worked as a cutter and cartoonist and profiled a wide section of Cork society, from beggars to magistrates. His signature appears on much of his work and one trade label is known. Later in his life he worked with his daughter, Mary O’Driscoll. Their joint signatures appear on a number of works, including a large picture currently held in the Cork Museum named ‘Assembly of Citizens in front of Commercial Build­ings, South Mall’, dated 1870.

O'Driscoll was a skil­ful cutter who specialized in producing group silhouettes set against lithographed backgrounds. The high profile of his clients is indicative of the quality of his work; he designed and litho­graphed the address given to Queen Victoria on her visit to Cork in 1849 and designed the card of admission to the ceremony which took place during this visit. His work is mainly identifiable by its attention to detail, particularly hair and eyelashes, and its signature. Work by Stephen and Mary O’Driscoll shows similar attention to detail. The previously mentioned piece ‘Assembly of Citizens’ depicts an assembly of hundreds of figures, each of them a silhouette cut out, touched with colour and pasted. The composition is particularly skilful. Work by both O’Driscolls is relatively well-known today and valued by collectors.