Did You Know...

An Afternoon in Profile

In early 1987, the mother and daughter silhouette artists Helen and Neville “Nel” Laughon worked with the Supreme Court Curator’s Office to cut replica silhouettes of historical figures to help illustrate an exhibit titled “Documenting the Constitution: A Manuscript History.” Later that year, they were invited back to the Court to create works of five sitting Justices and their spouses. Using a small camera obscura, they projected each sitter’s profile onto specially coated black paper. Nel then carefully traced each outline before handing the paper to Helen, who cut each silhouette by hand. To complete the process, the Laughons commissioned local lithograph artists to create individualized backgrounds for each portrait.