Steell (McKechnie Section 1)

Recorded by Jackson (The History of Silhouettes). Steell was obviously an itinerant artist. The only advertisement so far known to be his appeared in Northampton, but he no doubt worked in a number of other towns. Unfortunately, no signed or labelled example of his work is known, and the only certain biographical facts are that he visited Northampton at least twice in 1781. He was thus one of the early silhouette artists.

The only artist with this surname recorded by Foskett worked some twenty years later, and spelt his name ‘Steel’; there seems therefore to be no evidence to suggest that he was the same man as the subject of the present entry.

The first of the two extant advertisements appeared in the Northampton Mercury on 6 October 1781. It reads as follows:

LIKENESSES in PROFILE

MR. STEELL most gratefully acknowledges the many Favours he has already received from the Inhabitants of this Town, and it’s Environs, by returning his most sincere Thanks to those Ladies and Gentlemen that have honoured him by Sitting, and to whom, he may venture to assert, a general Satisfaction has been given. He likewise begs Leave to acquaint the Public, that he leaves Northampton in about a Fortnight; in the Interim, the most Striking LIKENESSES will be taken (at Half-a-Crown each) at Mr Mawby’s, Shoemaker, in Mercer’s-Row; where Specimens may be seen.

*Attends from Eleven to Six.


MR. STEELL most respectfully solicits those inclined to honour him by Sitting, to be immediate, as his Stay will be so short.

Northampton, October 6, 1781.

The words ‘at Mr. Mawby’s, Shoemaker’ suggest that Steell was not a resident of Northampton. It is also clear from the advertisement that he intended to leave the city before the end of October. An advertisement placed in the same newspaper on 22 December, however, indicates that his services as a profilist were soon in local demand once more:

LIKENESSES IN PROFILE

Mr. Steell, having been sent for back to NORTHAMPTON, to wait on some Families in the Neighbourhood: and being informed that several Ladies and Gentlemen have applied during his Absence; Takes the Opportunity of acquainting the Public, that he purposes stopping for about a week, at Mr. Mawby’s, in Mercer’s Row, where he hopes that those who are inclined to honour him, will immediately apply.

Northampton, Dec. 22nd., 1781

Since in neither of these advertisements does Steell give any hint of his manner of producing profiles, it has been difficult to decide under which Section he should be included.

In the collection of the Earl Spencer at Althorp, Northamptonshire, however, there are four unsigned hollow-cut silhouettes, some of which bear dates of 1781 or 1782. They are not in the least like the work of Mrs Harrington (q.v.; the prolific producer of hollow-cut silhouettes who was touring the provinces at that time), but it is just possible that they were cut by Steell, whose presence in Northampton in 1781 has been documented. The evidence is so slender that I have not felt justified in including an illustration of one of these profiles under Steell’s name in this Section, but I have illustrated one in Chapter Six.

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Some of the profiles mentioned in the previous paragraph were cut with a wide base (filling more of the oval at the base than was usual) straight across. Their black paper backing was denser in tone than that used by Mrs Harrington.

No trade labels or signatures have survived.