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The painting “Creole in a Red Hairdress” by Jacques Aman is probably one of the most iconic portraits in history, but most don’t know the significance behind the headdress.
During the late 18th Century, Louisiana saw a boom in growth, giving citizens—including those who were of African decent—the opportunity to create wealth. Black women were known for their elaborate hairstyles, some of which incorporated elements such as feathers and jewels.
Interracial relationships were also common, but Spain’s Charles III took issue with this. In response, he ordered Louisiana’s Governor, Miro, to impose laws aimed at his idea of moral decency—specifically referencing a ‘large class of mulattos’, particularly “mulatto women.”
In 1786, the Edict of Good Government—more commonly know as Tignon Laws—went into effect. The edict specifically “prohibited Creole women of color from displaying ‘excessive attention to dress’ in the streets of New Orleans”...
...and required them to wear a tignon (scarf) to cover their hair.
Previously, tignons were used as an identity marker of slaves—the new law required free women of color to don them.
Previously, tignons were used as an identity marker of slaves—the new law required free women of color to don them.
Creole women of color complied with the law, but used intricate fabrics and jewels to adorn their tignons, ultimately turning them into a fashion trend.
The law that historian Virginia M. Gould says was intended to put women “who had become too light skinned or who dressed too elegantly, or who competed too freely with white women for status and thus threatened the social order” in their place...
...was no longer enforced by 1803 but women of color of creole decent continued to wear them as a symbol of resistance to colonialism. #BlackHistoryMonth 
credit: Nikki Trufant-Wade, photo: New Orleans Historic Society
credit: Nikki Trufant-Wade, photo: New Orleans Historic Society
