Lot 498
Attributed to Charles Balthazar Julien Fevret de Saint-Memin (French), two physionotrace portraits of "John August Chevallie (1765-1878)" and "A Gentleman", sight 4 in. x 3 in. and sight 3 3/4 in. x 3 3/4 in., in period frames. Note: St. Memin traveled along the eastern coast of America, passing through such cities as Philadelphia, New York, Richmond, and Charleston, from 1793-1814, supporting himself by creating drawings and physionotraces of sitters for a fee. The physionotrace was a method invented in France involving a machine that created an effect through an eyepiece that was a cross between a camera obscura and a silhouette. By looking through this eyepiece, the artist could move a rod to follow the sitter's profile and a pencil on the lower end of the rod would trace the profile onto a piece of paper. Then the artist would complete the drawing by hand and create an etching from which multiple prints could be made. Generally, St. Memin would sell the original portrait, the engraved plate, and twelve prints for twenty five to thirty five dollars. He would often also provide gilded frames and glass decorated with black paint and gold leaf. The black and gold embellishment on the glass of the portrait of John August Chevallie suggests that this picture is in the original frame decorated by St. Memin himself.
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