Man with Hat and Cigarette Antique Cut Paper Silhouette folk art candleholder Punch and Judy has roots

Punch and Judy has roots in 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte

I found this box at a terrific antique shop in Maine

love letters

who taught at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia

and very light wear otherwise

Man with Hat and Cigarette Antique Cut Paper Silhouette folk art candleholder Punch and Judy has rootsThis silhouette came from a batch of them, most of them, but not this one, with the name of the subject written on the back. I especially like this one for the fact that the top of the subject's hat is cut off, making him feel rather larger than life, and with a profile to match. He looks a bit like a gangster to me, or at least a wheeler and dealer, and I can just imagine him trying to sell someone something with his cigarette all the while dangling