The Double Silhouette: Celebrating Pride Month through the Victorian Hairwork of Sylvia Drake and Charity Bryant

The Double Silhouette, housed at the Henry Sheldon Museum, stands not only as a beautiful testament to 19th-century hairwork artistry and silhouette creation, highlighting the era's intricate craftsmanship, but also celebrates the enduring love story of Sylvia Drake (1784-1868) and Charity Bryant (1777-1851), two remarkable women whose relationship continues to inspire and resonate today. Having lived as a married couple for over forty years, their unique double portrait is considered one of the earliest known images of a same-gender couple in America. The two women are buried together at Weybridge Hill Cemetery, sharing a single tombstone that commemorates their life together.