How a Famous Black Model Finally Got Her Name Back

For more than two centuries, the woman in this famous portrait remained nameless. Although it may not look like it at first glance, this painting is a self-portrait. Do not be confused by its original, demeaning title — Portrait of a Negress. Or by one of the headings under which it’s still listed in the <a href="https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010065532" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Louvre Museum</a> — Portrait d’une femme noire. This 19th-century painting by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Guillemine_Benoist#:~:text=In%201800%2C%20Benoist%20exhibited%20Portrait,emancipation%20and%20black%20people%27s%20rights." rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Marie-Guillemine Benoist</a> is most assuredly a self-portrait. <a href="https://momentum.medium.com/how-a-famous-black-model-finally-got-her-name-back-6c2c5e5d0bd9">Read More</a>