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Silhouette cutting with embroidered name
[also known as cameo]
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| Bespoke embroidery - Alexis |
We at Mangalisa embroider garments and stationary to suit customer specific design requirements. Note: Prices upon Request as each item is unique and personalized! Mangalisa is a Zulu word and it is used in the context to describe an amazing, a wonderful or a fantastic story.
The History of Silhouettes
ReplyDeletethe art of silhouette cutting originated in Europe in the early 1700's.
Prior to the French revolution, silhouettists were hired as an amusement for the royal class. The featured artist would attend the many extravagant balls and cut out the distinguished profiles of the Lords and Ladies capturing the latest fashions and elaborate wigs.
While the aristocrats were having their silhouettes cut out and eating like kings much of Europe was starving, especially in France. In the 1760's the Finance Minister of France, Etienne de Silhouette, had crippled the French people with his merciless tax policies. Oblivious to his people's plight, Etienne was much more interested in his hobby of cutting out paper profiles, the latest fad. Etienne de Silhouette was so despised by the people of France that in protest the peasant’s wore only black, mimicking his black paper cut-out’s. The saying went all over France, "We are dressing a la Silhouette. We are shadows, too poor to wear colour. We are Silhouettes!" To this very day the black profile cut-outs are called silhouettes. Thankfully, the negative connotation no longer remains :-)