Hervé, Henry I (McKechnie Section 2)

See Section One for main entry

Here we are concerned only with silhouettes which bear Hervé's trade labels, not with the work which he may have done for William Farthing (see Section Three).

Hervé painted both in black (either solid black, or with transparency in thinned pigment) and in the bronzed style. Most of his silhouettes are similar in outline, whatever medium he used; but this is not surprising, since he mentions on most of his trade labels that he uses a 'machine'. The black work was probably executed earlier than the bronzed work, which is mentioned on what are considered to be the later of the trade labels.

On the black silhouettes, gum arabic is used in thick strokes to stress the hard lines of men's coats and (sparingly) to stress shadow on the transparent parts of women's clothing, the bulk of which is shown by fine lines of hatching. Hair is left plain black, with some additional fine lines at the top of the head to show the finish of the short

hair-styles of the time. There is no indication of an eyebrow on any of the examples seen, and the eyelash is shown by a single short line. Plunging bust-line terminations are characteristic.

The profiles are large (almost three inches high in some cases), and fill much of the card ovals on which they are painted.

One bronzed silhouette by Hervé is in my collection; it bears the name 'H. Hervé' on the brass hanger. It is of lower quality than one would expect from Hervé. The gold is markedly yellow, and unskilfully applied. Mayne, however, refers to fine bronzed work by Hervé.

Possibly some of the silhouettes for jewellery pieces, mentioned on the artist's trade labels, were painted on card.

Profiles by Hervé have been seen in oval ebonised frames, and in papier mâché frames, both of the earlier type (with a papier mâché oval, but without a metal hanger) and of the later, commoner type (with a brass oval and a decorated hanger).

Ills. 835-838