![]() The condition was reached by gradual degrees of miscegenation, or racial mixing, until the complexion of an individual often became indistinguishable from a person of “pure” white ancestry. As indicated by the inscription on the base of the statue, she is instead an octoroon-that is, an exceptionally light-skinned person of mixed race, technically defined as one-eighth black and the rest white. Except for her chains, she could pass for a conventional likeness of Venus, the classical goddess of love. To all appearances, the young woman seen here represents a white captive. Though it would hardly seem likely at first glance, this pallid image of slavery directly addresses the condition of black bondage. This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black Archive & Library at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. ![]()
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