It is no secret that black women have always been desired for marriage by men of all races for centuries. I am always looking for images whether photographs or oil canvas like these Casta paintings. These are gems of black women of various shades with white males. I only found a few of these fascinting art and history collections. So if you know of any more, please add the links. I have included credits when available as these portraits all came from the Internet. My focus is black woman interracial unions, not the names of the offspring they produced. By today’s standards the children of such unions would simply be biracial or multiracial, not assigned to some one drop, racist label.

There are several books and museum exibits on Casta paintings in Spanish Colonial America. Most of the pics were found on the Contructing Race with Images page from the Race in Colonial Mexico Collection (and European Collections).

Enjoy!

Christian Protten (1715-1769) and Rebecca (1718-1780) an ex-slave and Moravian convert were married in Germany in 1740; shown also is their child, Anna Maria Protten.  Christian is the child of a Danish father and African mother.  He as born in Denmark.  This gem was found at The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life of the America’s page website.  They have many priceless portraits.

1725

1725

 De español y mulata, morisca by Miguel Cabrea, 1763.

bw-wm Casta painting by José de Alcíbar, 1760-1770

José Joaquin Magon Casta Paintings

José Joaquin Magon Casta Paintings

This is a more comical one of Casta paintings of Spanish and Negra producing Mulatta.  Looks like she is trying to box his ears.

A Redenção de Cam (The Redemption of Ham)

Andrés de Islas, 1774

Note: I notice there are several of the couples fighting. 

Could this be depicting everyday, normal life or contributing to stereotypes?

Andrés de Islas, 1774

Andrés de Islas, 1774

 Andrés de Islas, 1774

Andrés de Islas, 1774

 José de Paez