CT_Exhibition_Page 48_Fashion plate from the Gallery of Fashion, vol.II Nicolaus Heideloff London, England, 1795-1796 Metropolitan Museum of Art, 50.611.1(2)

Fashion plate from the Gallery of Fashion, vol.II Nicolaus Heideloff London, England, 1795-1796 Metropolitan Museum of Art, 50.611.1(2)

‘La Belle Espagnole, ou la Doublure de Madam Tallien’ James Gillray London, England, 1796 © The Trustees of the British Museum,1868,0808.6504

Creole Exoticism

Part of the appeal of 'Creole' fashions in Europe was their exoticism. Although they did not openly acknowledge African Caribbean women as their models, racist conceptions of African Caribbean women as lascivious gave the white European women who dressed like them a 'dangerous, sexualised glamour'. It also made them targets of bigoted derision. In the fashion print to the left, the figure is captioned as wearing 'a new dress, in the Roman style'. The figure was rumoured to represent the influential French socialite Theresa Tallien, who was infamous for her daring taste in dress. The satirical print on the right is racist caricature of the first figure, re-drawn to reveal the (so-called) 'Creole' influence on Tallien's style.

Related Database Records

Entry no. <944>: