Figure 5

Citation

Charles Paxson (New York). “Rebecca, A Slave Girl from New Orleans.” 1863. John Daggett Collection. Mirror of Race, 11 Feb. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/144. Accessed 18 May 2024.

Title

Rebecca, A Slave Girl from New Orleans

Subject

Rebecca, A Slave Girl from New Orleans

Creator

Charles Paxson (New York)

Date

1863

Type

Studio Portrait

Identifier

Figure 5

Rights Holder

John Daggett Collection

Original Format

carte de visite, albumen print

Factual Commentary

In this portrait, Charles Paxson, the photographer, has posed Rebecca Hubner before a mirror, a common theme in portraiture of the period, especially for women. But Paxson goes beyond the conventional use of the mirror as a symbol of femininity, or even of vanity, to goad the viewer to reflect on the contradictions of slavery: that although this child might appear “white” enough to pass for white, she was nevertheless “A Slave Girl from New Orleans.” Was this merely exploitation of white self-regard to get the audience to identify with people they would not ordinarily because of their racism, or is it a legitimate attempt to shock the viewers into a realization that the racial categories were so fluid as to be meaningless?