Arkivism
Portraits of Surinamese Girls
Public domain

Portraits of Surinamese Girls

c. 1810 · ivory; pearl; hair; gold (metal); email

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

We may not know the identities of these women, but their status is apparent from their clothing, jewellery, and the existence of portraits depicting them. They must have been free women who held positions in Surinamese society. One of them wears a white-cotton angisa, a headscarf folded in a special way. It was worn by enslaved women as well as free women of colour.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Credit linePortraits of Surinamese Girls. c. 1810. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.

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