I’m the first to admit I love a good BBC costume drama. I’ve watched the six hour version of Pride & Prejudice (the best version of Pride & Prejudice) at least five times, though I think more people need to see the movie version of Persuasion, which came out the same year.
But as much as I love costume dramas, if they are your only real look at various historical eras, you risk getting a skewed perspective on who was actually living then. Because of course, most of the people living and working and struggling and loving at any point in history were neither upper class nor white.
This portrait is of Euphemia Toussaint, painted around 1825 when she would have been 10 years old. She was the niece and adopted daughter of Pierre Toussaint, a freed slave who lived in New York City and became a great philathropist to the city’s poor. Toussaint and his wife also raised money to help build St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.
Sadly, Euphemia died four years after her likeness was painted by Anthony Meucci, when she was only 14 years old.
Her portrait is a beautiful reminder that people of all races and all classes have stories worth telling at any point in history. It’s also a good reminder, which often gets overlooked, that even in the past a person’s class was not defined by their race. (Just ask Miss Lambe.)
You always find the most interesting historic matters. How sad that Miss Toussaint died so young.
I was shocked when I read the dates — she looks so grown up in her portrait! But of course, children were dressed just like miniature adults. Her guardian was also a fascinating man, definitely worth reading more about!
I’ve hear of Pierre Toussaint but never seen the portrait of his niece. What interesting people. It’s always nice to learn about the individuals who get left out of history books.