If I were to implement something similar, it would look like this:
http://jsfiddle.net/5BsXs/
.hidden-with-shadow {
width: 200px;
height: 100px;
overflow: hidden;
position: relative;
}
.hidden-with-shadow:after {
content: " ";
position: absolute;
left: 0;
right: 0;
bottom: 0;
height: 40px;
/* IE9 SVG, needs conditional override of 'filter' to 'none' */
background: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,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);
background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%, rgba(255,255,255,1) 100%); /* FF3.6+ */
background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0%,rgba(255,255,255,0)), color-stop(100%,rgba(255,255,255,1))); /* Chrome,Safari4+ */
background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%,rgba(255,255,255,1) 100%); /* Chrome10+,Safari5.1+ */
background: -o-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%,rgba(255,255,255,1) 100%); /* Opera 11.10+ */
background: -ms-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%,rgba(255,255,255,1) 100%); /* IE10+ */
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255,255,255,0) 0%,rgba(255,255,255,1) 100%); /* W3C */
filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient( startColorstr='#00ffffff', endColorstr='#ffffff',GradientType=0 ); /* IE6-8 */
}
The complex background rules are necessary to achieve the desired gradient effect across all browsers. To change the color, simply replace #ffffff with your preferred color. Using a preprocessor like Sass with Compass (SCSS) can simplify the process, for example:
background: linear_gradien(rgba(255,255,255,255), rgba(255,255,255,0))