Blog Post #1

            In this project I would like to explore the theme of portraiture of European elites with African slaves. This topic is of interest because of the extensive background and history that influenced the creation of these portraits. Slavery was present in Europe for hundreds of years, changing the tendencies of the culture and furthermore, the people. What caught my attention in these portraitures is that the European elites included individuals from the other side of the economic spectrum, people who were of extremely poor backgrounds. This theme includes the theme of trade because it includes the slaves that were taken out of Africa and sent to Europe for the use of the elites. At the time, having slaves was a sign of abundance of wealth.

            The image above perfectly reflects this theme and the history behind it is the Portrait of the Duchess of Portsmouth by Pierre Mignard in 1682. In this portrait we see the Duchess with a young servant on her side. She is dressed in very fine clothing as expected. The servant is also wearing fine clothing; this was not the normal type of clothes that slaves and servants would be wearing. Why would they dress a servant in expensive clothing? Was it just for the portrait? It is really important to observe this detail because it set this young slave apart from the rest.

            The Duchess also has an arm around her servant, which is interesting because this is a gesture that elites did with their children. On the other hand, the young servant is looking at the woman with an expression of complete admiration. This highlights the idea that white women were highly admired in society. White skin was regarded as a very fine trait of a person. The whiter a person was, the more wealth they had. This was because they were not required to go out of the house to do manual labor, since the slaves would do it for them.

           

            Another important aspect of this portrait is the jewelry that is being held by the servant in a seashell. The shell contains an undue amount of pearls. This aspect also shows trade among borders. The Europeans acquired these precious materials from colonies. The African American Servant and the jewelry indicate that the Duchess in this portrait is extremely wealthy.

           

            From these portraits I would like to learn why these servants were included. Were they actually treated as well as they seem to be treated in the portrait? What was their main job with the elites? Wouldn’t the elites prefer having assistants that were mature and experienced?