Silhouette, Reverse Painted Glass with Color Foil, Victorian Woman Sewing, Framed, Vintage

• Vintage Framed Silhouette, Reverse Painted Glass with Colorful Foil, (Butterfly Wing Effect). Victorian Woman Sewing, Picture Wall Art, Home Decor, Collectibles,  (Discontinued)
• Made in USA
• Vintage:  1930's - 1940's
• Details:  Unique and very pretty, vintage reverse painted silhouette on glass, using the Butterfly Wing Effect with Colorful Foil.  It features a young woman sewing or mending sitting by a pedestal table.  The foil colors are purple, yellow, green, red and a bit of blue.  This technique was known as a "Butterfly Wing Effect"*, a process created by applying delicate, pearlescent foil to the back of the glass.  The only company known to have done this in the USA was Reliance Picture Frame Company (RPF Co), in Chicago, however, this picture is not marked.  (See below for additional information).  The frame looks like real wood, the back is cardboard.  During the 1920's through the 1950's there was an increased nostalgia for the Victorian age, and these reverse painted silhouettes became very popular.  Today, silhouettes are back in style and can be mixed with other portraits, among wall plates, or displayed on their own.  We think this one is perfect for a sewing room or a little girl's room.
• Material:  Cardboard, Glass, Wood
• Dimensions:  8.75 inches High x 5.75 inches Wide 
• Condition:  Vintage - Used.  Very Good Vintage Condition. The only issues noted are on the frame and cardboard backing.  All acceptable due to age/use/wear.  Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are ANTIQUE and VINTAGE items, they are NOT new, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear and tear and imperfections.   

Reliance Company started in 1903 as Reliance Picture Frame Company.  Three brothers, Jim, Aaron, and Mickey Scheyer began manufacturing picture frames in Manhattan. Reliance introduced their "Butterfly Wing Effect" pictures in the 1920s and 1930s.  The artwork is a type of reverse painting on glass that uses a foil effect to mimic the iridescent look of real butterfly wings.  In 1937 they moved the company to Dover, New Jersey.  By the 1940's there were three divisions: Reliance Company, Reliance Print Company & Reliance Picture Frame Co.  In 1963, Helen Scheyer Harris, Aaron's daughter, opened "Helrick’s" a frames retail store in Dover.  Reliance was not moved to Chicago until 1990, and only the business division, Reliance Co, was moved and sold, but frames were still being made and sold in New Jersey.  We believe Helrick’s is still in business, now run by the Kane family.

*The real Butterfly Wing pictures were a decorative art form popular in the 1930's, imported from Brazil.  This was done on decorative trays and wall hangings using real butterfly wings on reverse-painted glass landscapes, used to create iridescent, pearly effects and intricate details.