Presumed portrait of Madeleine
Marie-Guillemine Benoist
1800, France • Oil on canvas
Presumed portrait of Madeleine
Marie-Guillemine Benoist
1800, France • Oil on canvas
In 1800, the title of my picture was 'Portrait of a Negress'. It made quite a splash! Then, in the year 2000, they renamed it 'Portrait of a black woman'. And later still, after they thought they had found out who I was, they called me 'Madeleine'. Regardless of my name, I try to embody the noble beauty of all black women.