Colonel H.J. Daniell, full length to the left 1827 - 1844

This silhouette of Colonel H.J. Daniell was cut by George Angelo Crowhurst in the late 18th or early 19th century. Silhouettes were popular at this time, offering a relatively affordable way to capture a person's likeness during a period of significant social and political upheaval. The Colonel is presented in profile, a deliberate choice that echoes the tradition of classical portraiture while also flattening and reducing the individual to a set of recognizable markers. Consider the politics of representation at this moment in history, as the British Empire expanded. The silhouette becomes a tool for cataloging and classifying individuals. The Colonel's identity is distilled into a simplified form, reflecting how individuals can be both celebrated and reduced by systems of power. How does this two-dimensional rendering of a military figure invite us to reflect on the complexities of identity, the weight of history, and the gaze through which we perceive others?