Long term exhibitor and show legend, S. John Ross, constructing a silhouette at the 2007 Royal Adelaide Show.
When visitors come into the Show Museum, there are memories and stories that come up again and again – the Mad Mouse and the 90-degree corner that made people feel as though they would go over the edge; the giant Penfolds wine bottle that used to sit in front of the old Hall of Industries, with its never-ending flow into a giant glass; and also, “The Silhouette Man”.
S John Ross was one of those rare people who became famous, even though most of the people who knew of him didn’t know his name. The nickname of “The Silhouette Man” would be repeated in the museum again and again in an act of seemingly organic synchronicity. People were unsure where the nickname came from, but he was a man, and he did make silhouettes. Given nobody knew of any other Silhouette Men, the nickname made sense, and it stuck.
S (the ‘S’ standing for Sebastian) John Ross was born in Detroit, US in 1919. John learned the art of silhouette portraits in the 1940s, before serving in the US military and finding himself stationed in Sydney. Part of his duties was arranging transport for visiting celebrities such as Bob Hope and Jack Benny. One of the drivers John Ross employed was Florence Phyllis Counsell, who, in February of 1945, would become his wife. The pair settled in Sydney and thus the legend of ‘The Silhouette Man’ began.
John travelled to all the major agricultural shows over the following six decades and armed with nothing more than a pair of scissors and black card, would cut out incredible portraits for showgoers. When in Adelaide, John would typically set up his small stall in Centennial Hall, with silhouette portraits of celebrities on display. John continued his silhouette work right up to the end of his colourful life, passing away in August of 2008 at the age of 89, just a few weeks before that years Royal Adelaide Show.
The Show is not about any single element – people visit knowing that there will be hundreds of attractions to see, however, some stick in the mind more than others, including S John Ross, “The Silhouette Man.”
