COVE

The paper silhouette was a staple in Regency England as it did not take an excessive amount of money nor time to make. They were a popular alternative to portrait miniatures and were often given as tokens of affection. This tradition has carried on through modern day with people often carrying small pictures of their loved ones in their wallet or hanging them up in their room. One such instance of this is in the 1995 movie, Clueless, a modern adaptation of Emma set in a Beverly Hills high school in the nineties. The Emma character becomes Cher, a spoiled girl who loves matchmaking and makeovers. The “Harriet” character that Cher decides to mold into the perfect young girl is Tai. Much like the Austen original, Cher tries to set Tai up with Elton, even giving him a photograph that she took of Tai to hang in his locker. However, it turns out that the reason Elton keeps the pholograph is because Cher took it, as that is who he is in love with. This is a near perfect adaptation of the storyline in Austen where Emma makes a portrait of Harriet and gives it to Mr. Elton, with him keeping it not because of the subject, but the artist. My silhouette is an interpretation of what Cher’s silhouette would look like if they were still popular in the 1990s. I imagine she would gift this silhouette to the Mr. Knightley character in Clueless, Josh. 

Silhouette of Emma Woodhouse of Emma in the style of Cher Horowitz from Clueless (1995), by Julia Wolfson, 2025. I decided to combine the Regency era style silhouette with decorations that were reminiscent of the 1995 film Clueless, a modern adaptation of Emma. Clueless is a near perfect take on Emma  set in a Beverly Hills High School in the nineties. I was especially drawn to the parallels in the scene where Mr. Elton receives a portrait of Harriet done by Emma and in Clueless when Elton receives a Polaroid of Tai taken by Cher. I based the silhouette on a cover of Emma I found on Pinterest; however, I made alterations to better fit what I had in mind for my Cher/Emma hybrid portrayal. 

Process of Creating the Silhouette, Photograph by Catherine J. Golden, 2025. As I love crafting in any capacity, I knew I would enjoy the creating process. I wanted to do a yellow plaid background in reference to Cher’s iconic outfit in Clueless. I ended up making a heart border around the silhouette because I thought that also matched Cher’s aesthetic. The lace border is inspired by the top Cher is wearing when she realizes she is in love with Josh--this scene being an iconic one in the book as well with Emma realizing she is in love with Mr. Knightley. I did a pretty standard paper silhouette that I found on an edition of Emma and added rhinestones as hair gems. I added a speech bubble saying “UGH, AS IF!” as another reference to Cher.

Promotional Poster for Clueless (1995). This promotional poster for Clueless influenced my work heavily, as the color palate is heavily inspired by it. Specifically the yellow plaid as a background was a large inspiration. The hot pink of the title also played a part in the design of my silhouette in the form of the rhinestones. Cher on the phone reminded me of her saying expressions such as “ugh, as if!” and therefore I wanted to add it to my silhouette.

Screenshots from Clueless (1995) from Pinterest, 2025.These three outfits heavily influenced the style of my silhouette. The first still is when Cher says her iconic line, "Ugh, as if!" which I included in my silhouette. The pom poms and lace border were inspired by the other two photos of Cher holding a fluffy pen and wearing a white lacy shirt. 

Screenshots from Emma (2020) and Clueless (1995) from Pinterest, 2025. The first picture is a still from the 2020 adaptation of Emma showing Emma painting a portrait of Harriet after styling her. This portrait ends up going to Mr. Elton, who only takes it because Emma made it, and he is in love with her. The second and third photos are from the movie Clueless and depict the same scene, except modernized, where Cher takes a photograph of Tai that later goes to Elton, who keeps it because Cher took the photograph, not because he wants one of Tai.

Cover of Emma (Collector's Edition), Laminated Hardback with Jacket, Published by Revive Classics, 2024. This is an edition of Emma that I found, and I thought the silhouette on the cover was perfect for an elevated, or a more Cher/Emma, version of the classic Regency silhouette. The decorations in the hair and earring also inspired the addition of rhinestones to my silhouette.