According to an announcement on the City of Marietta website, internationally acclaimed silhouette artist Clay Rice will make a special appearance at the William Root House on Sunday, Nov. 9, offering visitors a chance to experience his celebrated craft firsthand.

Rice, based in Charleston, South Carolina, is known nationwide for his lightning-fast profile portraits, each completed in about one minute. Over his four-decade career, he estimates he has cut more than one million silhouettes. His work has been featured in Country Living, Southern Living, and Garden and Gun.

Silhouettes, which were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries before photography became widespread, are once again treasured as unique keepsakes thanks to their charm and artistic detail.

The upcoming event at the Root House requires advance reservations, as space is limited. Each silhouette package is priced at $52 and includes two copies of a child’s profile. Additional copies are available for $10 each. Reservations can be made online at CobbLandmarks.com.

Event Details:
What: Silhouettes by Clay Rice
When: Nov. 9, 2025
Where: William Root House, 80 N Marietta Parkway NW, Marietta, GA 30060
Reservations: CobbLandmarks.com

About the William Root House

The William Root House was built in about 1845, and was the home of William Root and his wife Hannah.

William Root was a druggist who was born in Philadelphia. He moved to Marietta in 1839 to open a drug and general store. He married Hannah Simpson a year later, and they built the house at what is now Church and Lemon streets.

It was later moved to face Lemon Street, and was owned by William Root until 1886.

Afterward it had a series of owners and went into steady decline, and in the 1940s was split into apartments.

By the 1980s, the house was in serious disrepair and scheduled for demolition.

A preservation effort began, and in 1989 Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society bought the house and moved it to its current location at 80 North Marietta Pkwy NW, Marietta, GA 30060.

According to promotional materials for the museum, “While the home and grounds have been meticulously restored to their 1860 appearance, interactive electronic displays have been added to tell the story of the Root family and their enslaved house servants.”