The term silhouette derives from the name of Etienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister who, in 1759, was forced by France's credit crisis during the Seven Years War to impose severe economic demands upon the French people, particularly the wealthy.Because de Silhouette was said to enjoy making cut paper portraits, his name became eponymous with these portraits and with anything done or made cheaply.Prior to the advent of photography, silhouette profiles cut from black card were the cheapest way of recording a person's appearance.

A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black.

From its original graphic meaning, the term "silhouette" has been extended to describe the sight or representation of a person, object or scene that is backlit, and appears dark against a lighter background.

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