John Miers (artist) facts for kids
John Miers (born in 1756, died in 1821) was a very famous artist in Britain. He was known as a "profilist" or "silhouette artist." This means he was an expert at painting special pictures called silhouettes.
A Famous Artist's Journey
John Miers was born in a town called Leeds. He started his art business in Edinburgh, Scotland. After that, he worked in different towns in the north of England. Around 1788, he opened his main art studios in The Strand, London.
His business in London was very successful! People would come to him for "3 minute sittings." This means they would sit very still for just three minutes. During this short time, John Miers would capture their profile. A profile is the side view of a person's face.
He made these tiny pictures, called miniatures, on special materials. These included ivory or plaster. He used delicate shading to show details of hair and clothes. But the person's face was always painted as a solid black shape. This black shape was the silhouette.
In 1785, John Miers wrote a message on the back of one of his artworks. He wanted to tell people how great his art was. He said his method "preserves the most exact Symmetry and animated expression of the Features." He also said it was "much Superior to any other Method."
He told customers that the sitting time was only one minute. He also kept the original drawings of people's profiles. This meant he could make more copies for anyone who wanted them later. If someone already had a profile drawing, he could make it smaller. He could also update the clothes in the picture to fit the latest fashion.
John Miers was especially good at painting solid black shapes on plaster. His name first appeared in the London Directory in 1792. This was a book that listed businesses in London. By the end of his life in 1821, John Miers had collected about 100,000 profiles in his studio. That's a lot of faces!
His Life and Friends
John Miers knew the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns quite well. Robert Burns even wrote a letter about Miers. In the letter, he suggested his friend Robert Ainslee should get his profile painted by John Miers. Burns wanted to hang pictures of "Lord Glencairn, the Dr. and you (Ainslee)" together. He planned to put them "in trio, over my new chimney-piece." Robert Burns himself had his own profile painted by Miers in 1787.
See also
- Isabella Beetham, 18th century silhouette artist
