Phelps, William (McKechnie Section 2)


See Section Seven for main entry

Although no silhouettes painted on card or paper by Phelps can at present be located, and although Phelps does not mention on his trade label that he offers work of this type, experienced collectors have assured me that they have seen silhouettes by Phelps painted on card. Since Phelps's plain black work on plaster was of indifferent quality compared with his work in part colour, his work on card may be equally mediocre. Any surviving examples would probably be painted on buff-backed card, probably of the 'laid' type, since Phelps used this for much of his part-coloured work, which he often painted on a plain card profile which he afterwards stuck to plaster. Both surfaces of such card would probably be buff now, since the white surface of much old paper and card is now buff-coloured from age.

It can be said that work on card similar to the plain black plaster profiles is to be expected, though better silhouettes, comparable to those which Phelps painted on plaster, with the clothing rendered partly in colour, might be found.