Jorden, Richard (McKechnie Section 2)

See Section Three for main entries on Richard Jorden and Walter Jorden

According to Jackson, who recorded Walter and Richard Jorden in The History of Silhouettes, only Richard worked on paper. I know of no silhouettes painted on paper by him which are currently accessible, and the two which I have illustrated (both apparently taken in c. 1780) have both been reproduced from publications. One is illustrated by Mills, the other (attributable to Jorden on grounds of comparison with the other) is illustrated by Jackson. The latter silhouette represents a Mrs Kingsley and her daughter. Two other silhouettes, showing two other children of the same family (painted in the same format), may also be by Richard Jorden; they are illustrated in Chapter Eight.

239

Jorden appears to have painted in solid black. To indicate frills or other detail outside the main body of the profile he used a regular series of brush-strokes, thick nearest to the image and flicked off to a fine point outside it. For the bust-line termination, Jorden appears to have favoured a single concave line.

Ills. 239, 863, 864

239
The Kingsley family. The girl is aged about eleven; the boy, about eight. Silhouette by an unknown artist; possibly Richard Jorden, probably c. 1779-80.

 

costume dating points
The girl wears a half-handkerchief, draping her high hair-style, as would a woman of the period; the lappets at the back are typical of this fashion.
Note that the girl’s hair is longer than the boy’s.
The boy’s hair is of the length that one would expect for a boy of about eight years old during th late 1770s.
The boy’s fashionable parents have already dressed him in adult clothes; a man’s shirt-frill and coat button are visible.

 

From E. Nevill Jackson, ‘The History of Silhouettes’ (911), by courtesy of the ‘Connoisseur’

 

SECTION TWO

 

863
Mrs Grosvenor
Silhouette painted on card
c. 1780

 

From Weymer Mills, ‘One Hundred Silhouettes in the Wellesley Collection’ (1912), by courtesy of the Oxford University Press

 

864 ?
Mrs Kingsley and her daughter
Silhouette painted on card
c. 1780

 

comparison of this silhouette with that shown in 863 suggests that it must also be by Richard Jorden.

From E. Nevill Jackson, ‘The History of Silhouettes’ (911), by courtesy of the ‘Connoisseur’