Spence, William Steers (McKechnie Section 1)

Known from a manuscript in Shrewsbury Reference Library to have visited Shrewsbury in 1824 and to have cut 3,500 profiles there. The manuscript, which is largely concerned with the story of David Parkes (1763-1833), the Shropshire antiquary and artist, contains three silhouettes: two in bust-length of David Parkes and his wife Eliza; a third, in full-length, also of David Parkes. A fourth silhouette, also of a member of the Parkes family, is in the Shirehall, Shrewsbury. The heading over the bust-length profiles of David and Eliza Parkes reads as follows:

SINGULAR INGENUITY

Sept. 24th. Mr. W. S. Spence, Artist and Profilist, with scissors, visited Shrewsbury. He cut a profile Likeness in a few seconds. His full-length figures, cut from memory of any particular character, after a momentary glance, were very striking. He cut 3,500 profiles during his stay in Shrewsbury.

Since Spence's output was apparently so large, it is strange that no more examples of his work have been identified. It is just possible that he was a descendant of I. Spence (q.v.).

It is clear that Spence was a freehand cutter, both of bust- and full-length subjects, in plain black.

Ills. 596. 597