MARTINIQUE Costumes Traditionnels: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A picture postcard of six unidentified women standing next to a large tree in the middle of a wooded area. All six women are wearing traditional Creole clothing ensembles, chemise jupes, douillettes and madras head scarves, and gold jewelry. Except for the woman on the left, all the women carry folding hand fans. The women in the front row have one arm crooked on their hips and hold up their skirts, revealing their petticoats. The woman on the far right has a black handbag on her forearm. Two women stand behind the front row and a low tree branch separates the two rows. The photograph has a white border and blue ink along the lower edge reads [MARTINIQUE] / [Costume Traditionnels].

The back of the postcard has a short inscription on the left side and an address on the right, both in black ink. There is a pink heart-shaped stamp on the top right. Printed original to the postcard typed in the top left corner, [MARTINIQUE / Costumes Traditionnels]. Printed on the bottom left, [Crédit photo: Case à Rhum]. On the bottom right, a makers mark identifies the printer as [LAUMA Editions / MARTINIQUE - Tél. 0 596 50 69 21] with a picture of a hut and palm tree. There is a handwritten message on the left of the card and an address written on the right. A faded stamp above in a circle gives the location and date the postcard was sent, [972 SAINTE-ANNE/ 28-1.09-12 / MARTINIQUE]. A pink heart shaped stamp on the below has an image of a parrot.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2009
• Published by: Lauma Editions, Martinican, founded 2000
• Distributed by: La Case A Rhum, Martinican, founded 1980
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Type: color photographs
• Type: postcards
• Medium: ink on paper and paste (adhesive)
• Dimensions: H x W: 5 13/16 × 4 1/8 in. (14.8 × 10.5 cm)
• Place captured: Martinique, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
• Place used: Saint Anne, Martinique, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
• Cultural Place: West Africa, Africa
• Cultural Place: France, Europe
• Cultural Place: Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia
• Topic: African American
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Correspondence
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Freedom
• Topic: Gender
• Topic: Identity
• Object number: 2016.151.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © LAUMA Editions Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.