64 Parishes

Creole in a red turban

Published: October 22, 2011
Last Updated: January 17, 2019

Portrait of a seated young person, shown in three-quarter length and set against a neutral green background. The sitter wears a white long-sleeved off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, brown skirt, and a red turban or tignon. The sitter’s body is turned to the left and away from the viewer, while the head is turned toward the sitter’s left shoulder and facing the viewer, thereby permitting three-quarters of the visage to be seen. The initials E.D. in upper case block letters appear at the neckline of the blouse just below the left shoulder, and a simple gold band is seen on the left hand. The sitter’s coloring suggests a mixed racial background, and the androgynous features leave the question of gender an open matter.