these depictions are what inspired me to blog about the beauty standard thing in the first place. i don’t know how that post became so personal, but i suppose it’s fitting after my long absence that i should lead off with a bit more of myself. anyhow, i wonder what the subjects of these renderings and/or the artists who created the images would have made of this ‘epitome of beauty’ stuff.
Head of a Mulatto Woman by Joanna Mary Boyce
Portrait of a Mulatto Girl – 1935 by Aaron Douglas
Mulatto with Bowler Hat by Jules Pascin
Study of the Head of a Young Mulatto Woman, Full Face – by Anthony Frederick Sandys
The Quadroon-1880 by George Fuller
The Octoroon
mulatto diaries 
Wow! I keep getting these emails…You really are back! These posts are very powerful! Keep it up! please….
I recognize The last one from The women Of The octaroon balls in New Orleans. I love the wavy Afro lady in black n white.
Have you heard of Halle Berry’s fight with Gabriel over Nahla’s “blackness”? Your thoughts?
The last is my favorite 🙂
I’m new to your blog. I ran upon it quite by accident during a web-search, but I’m so happy that I found it. My mother was Creole and she spoke often of mulottos that are in our family and how some “passed” to obtain jobs.
When I look at these photos I see “us” a truly beautiful race. But it is extremely interesting to note what “our country” defines as pretty. All one has to do is to look at the current majority race and compare them to what “Hollywood” consideres pretty. These examples are Halley Berry, Lena Horne, Dorothy Danridge, Vonetta McGee, Irene Cara, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys. My examples say it all.
Please keep your blog running♥
Very nice blog Shona.
Thought provoking!!
My grandmother was so mixed up, with being Half-Italian, and her mother part Cherokee and with black and white mixed in, she looked like a white woman! Passed for one, because she could not help her looks!