Vintage Reliance “Beau Brummell” and “Ladye Faire” Matched Pair — Art Deco Reverse Painted Glass Silhouettes

A Gentleman and His Lady, in Black and Glass

There's something about the way the Art Deco era looked backward. In the 1930s and '40s, as the world hurtled toward modernity, parlor walls filled with silhouettes of Regency dandies and Victorian belles — romantic figures from a more mannered age. These reverse-painted glass silhouettes by the Reliance Company are that impulse made tangible, in a medium that felt thoroughly modern. The Reliance Company started life in 1903 as the Reliance Picture Frame Company, founded by brothers Jim, Aaron, and Mickey Scheyer in Manhattan. By the 1930s they'd developed their signature trick: taking original hand-cut silhouettes and transferring them in black enamel onto glass — preserving what their own labels call "the full sharpness of detail." The silhouette lives on the glass itself. Not behind it, not printed on paper — fused into the surface. Hold one up to the light and the pale green-cream ground glows through while the figure stays dense and opaque. "Beau Brummell" catches the legendary Regency dandy mid-bow, top hat extended in one hand, walking cane planted with the other. His companion "Ladye Faire" stands in a tiered crinoline ball gown, her posture regal, her silhouette a cascade of ruffles. Together they've been gracing mantels and gallery walls for close to a century. Each piece sits in a black-painted wooden frame with a metallic inner lip. The glass carries crisp white geometric Art Deco border lines surrounding the central silhouette on its pale ground. The backs retain their original Reliance labels — both identifying the titles, the pairing, and the T-1 model designation — along with original wire hanging hardware.

Details

• Maker: Reliance Company (est. 1903, Manhattan / Dover, NJ)
• Era: Circa 1930s–1940s
• Medium: Reverse-painted enamel silhouette on glass
• Subjects: "Beau Brummell" and "Ladye Faire" — matched pair, model T-1
• Frame: Black-painted wood with metallic inner lip
• Size: Each 5″ W × 5.75″ H (framed)
• Labels: Original Reliance paper labels on both backs (partially worn but legible)
• Hardware: Original wire hangers with ring hooks
• Sold as: A pair (both pieces included)

Condition

These pieces carry close to a century of life on them, and we want to be straightforward about what that looks like. The frames and backings show clear signs of long humidity exposure — consistent with display in a bathroom or similarly damp space over many years. Frame paint is chipping and flaking on both pieces, most visibly along the top rail of the Ladye Faire frame, where bare wood peeks through. The black glass border areas show enamel loss near the corners and along the bottom edges. The gold metallic inner lip has worn through in several places. A small chip or flake is visible in the lower portion of the Beau Brummell glass panel. The original backing paper shows water staining and rust blooms from non-original nails added at some point to re-secure it — the original Reliance fasteners were likely small brads or turn buttons. Both Reliance labels survive, but some printed text has worn away from moisture. The titles, pairing designation, maker attribution, and model number (T-1) all remain legible. On a wall at a comfortable viewing distance, these still present well — the silhouettes themselves are strong and intact, and the Art Deco border lines are crisp. But these aren't mint-condition pieces, and we've priced them with that in mind. Please look through all the photographs before purchasing.