Servante quarteronne de Lima
Location: Lima
Description:
These two images, like the preceding two, are colored engravings taken from the same original source. They were again selected in tandem in order to make a comparison. As described in The Present State of Peru: "A favorite female domestic of color, or the cast of quarterons. is represented in Plate XIII" (253). Interestingly, a quarteron is a person "of the mulatto woman and Spaniard" (4). This definition makes the second reproduction even more of a contrast. In the first image, the figure is shown as darker skinned, probably an accurate representation of someone of a mixed heritage. In the second image, she is portrayed as unquestionably white, and thus modified not only from the original image, but also from the actual truth of the figure.
She is quite well-dressed for a servant, but perhaps this is because she is a domestic, and works inside the home.
Book Title: Voyages au Perou faits dans les Années 1790 - 1794
Plate Number: Plate VI