The silhouette and quaker identity in early national philadelphia

In early national Philadelphia, portrait patronage and production were rooted in the meanings that portraits had for specific groups, meanings that were connected to social, economic, religious, and political conditions. Elite Philadelphiaarea Quakers used silhouettes to distinguish themselves from non-Quakers; reinforce bonds of kinship, friendship, and community at a time of internal and external challenges (particularly the Orthodox-Hicksite schism); and preserve and interpret their roles in early national history. By collecting their eminent ancestors and their cohorts-and binding them with themselves and their kin in albums-Quakers connected themselves to these individuals, their accomplishments, and their characters.