Lady in house-robe. Period, 1816
Lady in house-robe. Period, 1816
Costume for young girl. Period, 1821
Costume for young girl. Period, 1821
A Dinka Dandy
The portrait represents what might be styled a Dinka dandy, distinguished for unusually long hair. By continual combing and stroking with hair-pins, the hair of the negro loses much of its close curliness. Such was the case here: the hair, six inches long, was trained up into points like tongues of flame, and these, standing stiffly up all round his head, gave the man a fiendish look, which was still further increased by its being dyed a foxy red. This tint is the result of continual washing with cow-urine; a similar effect can be produced by the application for a fortnight of a mixture of dung and ashes.