Wheeler, Thomas (McKechnie Section 3)

See Section Four for main entry

Although no silhouettes on glass by Wheeler are currently available, examples have been seen by previous writers on the silhouette. Moreover, on Trade Label No. 4 Wheeler offers 'profiles on glass that will not wash off. This might indicate that Wheeler was one of the few artists who worked on glass in oil colour. That this medium was used by some early painters of silhouettes on glass is evident from the trade label of W. L. Holland (q.v.). It is possible, however, that Wheeler may have used, not oil colour, but water-colour mixed with gum arabic. Judging from Wheeler's profiles on plaster or on paper, any surviving glass profiles would show rather coarse brushwork, except on frills, but would show full details of clothing, hair and other features. It is not known if Wheeler used a needle for highlighting. No doubt he would have achieved transparency, on glass, by means of thinned pigment. Wheeler's practice, on profiles of women, of showing the protrusion of the buffon beyond the main line of the profile at the back (evident both on profiles on plaster and on examples on paper) should be borne in mind.

Profiles on glass would probably date from the 1790s onwards. It is possible that the profile dated as late as 1810, referred to in Section Four, was painted on glass.