Rider, Thomas

Introduction:

There is little information available about Rider. However, it is interesting to note that he advertised the production of memorial or obituary silhouettes, a relatively rare and very typically Victorian form. However, no examples of these have yet come to light.

There are very few examples of Rider’s work existent, and it is difficult to deduce how long he worked as a profilist. There is an example of his work in the Kilner collection, which was taken c1786. Its trade label bears an address in Covent Garden, London. There are two other trade labels recorded for Rider, both of which also carry addresses in London. He seemed to favour oval pearwood frames.

Rider used many mediums for his profiles. His profiles on glass are painted on convex glass, and an example bears his signature in the corner, scratched with a needle and backed with gold foil. His trade labels also advertise his work on enamel, although again nothing has come to light in this medium. In 1968 a silhouette by Rider on plaster sold by Sotheby and Co, London.