| Etienne de Silhouette, Louis XV's finance minister, tried to reduce spending by nobles at the French court, and as a result, his name was attached to the inexpensive version of many items. For example, a profile cut from black paper was less expensive than a miniature oil painting. Le portrait à la silhouette became popular at the French court at around the time of the American Revolution.
Two centuries later I underexposed the comedian Bill Cosby's profile as he stood beside his whitewashed garage. His metal-framed eyeglasses reflect the bright surroundings and are not in silhouette. That's the picture's secret, if photographs have secrets.
From As I See It
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