The World Spoke in Colors
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| "Mammy and La Madama" circa 19th century America |
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| Dido Belle Lindsey and her cousin Elizabeth circa 18th century Britain |
This past labor day weekend, I viewed the film Belle, dedicated to the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the daughter of an African slave and a British naval officer. The film was inspired by the painting above and starred biracial actress Gugulethu Mbatha-Raw as the title role. For some time now, I have also been eyeing the painting Mammy and La Madama. A variation of it hangs on my cousin's living room wall.
So, I figured why not pair both paintings together? For one, the vibes are starkly contrasting. In the first painting, Mammy (the happily docile maid) and the mistress are sitting on the same couch, playing with the same deck of cards(either that or Mammy is performing some type of black magic card trick).
Everything seems fine right? Yet, Mammy is a poor domestic servant dressed in tattered--albeit threadbare clothing, while the mistress is donned in the lush threads of the upper class. Even though they are sitting together for those few moments, when they both get up to leave, they will return to different worlds. Mammy will sink back into her life of mud walls, pig intestines, and bare floors. Madam, however, will be welcomed by a fluffy ottoman and shiny wooden drawers. Not to mention, the steward waiting to make her bed when she awakens.
So, I figured why not pair both paintings together? For one, the vibes are starkly contrasting. In the first painting, Mammy (the happily docile maid) and the mistress are sitting on the same couch, playing with the same deck of cards(either that or Mammy is performing some type of black magic card trick).
Everything seems fine right? Yet, Mammy is a poor domestic servant dressed in tattered--albeit threadbare clothing, while the mistress is donned in the lush threads of the upper class. Even though they are sitting together for those few moments, when they both get up to leave, they will return to different worlds. Mammy will sink back into her life of mud walls, pig intestines, and bare floors. Madam, however, will be welcomed by a fluffy ottoman and shiny wooden drawers. Not to mention, the steward waiting to make her bed when she awakens.
The second, highlights the confident gesture of Britain's first black aristocrat. For the first time ever, the black person--the black woman(or someone with at least a trace of black) is not painted groveling at the feet of the white subject. For the first time, the black woman and the white woman, are painted as equals.
Beside the fact that Dido is biracial, this painting echoes the desire that bubbled in the hearts of African Americans for years. It is Martin Luther King's dream--that one day black children and white children would hold hands--in this case elbows, at the table of brotherhood (well,sisterhood).
Even now, even with the civil rights movements, the Scottsboro Boys, and all the rest, there is still a trace of the first painting. Amidst our efforts to embody the second painting--to be an egalitarian society in regards to color, race, and gender, we still fall short. Cases like those of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin (victims of police brutality) and countless others, prove that we have a LONG way to go.
Beside the fact that Dido is biracial, this painting echoes the desire that bubbled in the hearts of African Americans for years. It is Martin Luther King's dream--that one day black children and white children would hold hands--in this case elbows, at the table of brotherhood (well,sisterhood).
Even now, even with the civil rights movements, the Scottsboro Boys, and all the rest, there is still a trace of the first painting. Amidst our efforts to embody the second painting--to be an egalitarian society in regards to color, race, and gender, we still fall short. Cases like those of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin (victims of police brutality) and countless others, prove that we have a LONG way to go.
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