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In my senior year of college I wrote several papers on my favorite poet, John Keats. As part of my studies I read a 600-page biography of the poet. One of my favorite sections of the book collected the many portraits of Keats into a glossy-paged insert in the middle of the book. Amongst the many paintings and sketches Keats’ artist friends completed of him included a couple silhouettes.
I’d heard of the practice before then, but I’d never taken much time looking at or thinking about them. Popularized in the 18th century, making silhouettes became a favorite pastime for many families. They’d have their subject sit framed by light, trace the cast shadow, and then cut out the image to complete the person’s profile.
Maybe it’s because I most associate silhouettes with this time period that I find the practice very romantic – not in the sense of love, but of something preserving the spirit of dreamy days gone by. It is then quite appropriate that artists at Disneyland offer a silhouette-making service.
The Silhouette Studio has resided on Main Street, U.S.A. almost since Disneyland’s inception; I’m not writing this article because I want to highlight a new addition to Disneyland. Recently I’ve been writing a lot about Disney World, so I wanted to place a focus on Walt’s original park.
Also, I’ve been thinking a lot about my eventual Disney park trip. My husband doesn’t entirely understand why we would travel across the country for an amusement park, when we have at least two of significant size within a few hours’ ride. I’m trying to explain to him what’s special about Disney, that it has more to it than just rides, and particularly the famous long lines for those rides. The official Disney parks blog was helpful in providing detailed information about the Silhouette Studio, and other special Disney parks features.
Getting my silhouette made by one of the establishment’s two thirty-year veterans, Bonnie or Sylvia, certainly seems like an experience that sets Disneyland apart. Theme parks often have caricature artists, but I’ve never heard before of something like the Silhouette Studio.
I can’t say whether or not one might have to wait in line for a while to get a silhouette done – maybe one could stop by in the morning, make an appointment, and come back later in the day (you’re free to steal that idea, Disneyland execs, if you don’t do it already). But once you’re in the subject’s chair, it only takes one of the talented artists a minute to complete one of their gorgeous creations.
Part of me is a bit wistful at the speed; a minute doesn’t seem like quite enough time for me to close my eyes and pretend I’m reclining in a Georgian parlor surrounded by the luminaries of the Romantic Movement as the sun sets through tall windows behind me.
But if I’m at a Disney park, I know I’ll have myriad activities I’m trying to cram into my time there. I’m ultimately thankful then, for the speed at which the artists can complete my silhouette portrait, and in awe of the skill which they can accomplish it in such a brief moment.
Those who find themselves at Disneyland ought to stop by the Silhouette Studio. It’s certainly one of the more unique experiences that sets Disney apart as the maker of America’s ultimate theme parks.
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Arts and Crafts: Silhouette Images
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*(This image by Derrick is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.)