vignettes

Noun

vignette (plural vignettes)

1. A running ornament consisting of leaves and tendrils, used in Gothic architecture.
2. A decorative design, originally representing vine branches or tendrils, at the head of a chapter, of a manuscript or printed book, or in a similar position.
   • The centrality of this particular trope can been seen in the vignette adorning the opening page of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonnée des sciences, des arts et des métiers (1751–1752).2011, William Burgwinkle, Nicholas Hammond, Emma Wilson, The Cambridge History of French Literature, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 420
3. (broadly) Any small borderless picture in a book, especially an engraving, photograph, or the like, which vanishes gradually at the edge.
4. (broadly) A short story or anecdote that presents a scene or tableau, or paints a picture.
   • A particular classroom incident, and the vignette I used to portray it, had a significant impact on the interpretative framework for my research into scientific literacy.2007, Peter Charles Taylor, John Wallace, Contemporary Qualitative Research, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 126

   Synonyms:

   account, anecdote, depiction, portrayal, representation

5. The central pictorial image on a postage stamp.
   • At the top of the stamp and centered slightly to the right is the wording, “U. S. Postage,” in white Gothic. Below the vignette are the words, “Little White House,” in quotations, with “Warm Springs,” centered directly below in dark Gothic, […]1967, Postage Stamps of the United States, U.S. Government Printing Office
6. The characteristic of a camera lens, either by deficiency in design or by mismatch of the lens with the film format, that produces an image smaller than the film's frame with a crudely focused border. Photographers may deliberately choose this characteristic for a special effect.

See all 10 meanings of vignette