Portrait of a Creole girl. Circa 1850. Louisiana School. Unsigned *Pre-Conservation
While the identity of the Louisiana Girl in the painting has been lost to time. The owner has placed a palm frond atop the frame in requiem.
The palm frond, a Creole accessory.
I am sure that many of you, like myself, have walked into a creole home and seen palm branches behind a portrait of a relative that is no longer alive. An image of my great grandmother’s picture in my maternal grandmother’s house comes to mind. Until recently, this “accessory” was insignificant to me. It is something that I always saw. It is much like hanging garlic in the kitchen and crucifixes above every bedroom door. However, on one “All Saints Day” I found myself thinking about these palm fronds. I began to think about the palm branches’ spiritual significance. Palms were thrown at the feet of Jesus as he rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey (“Palm Sunday” commemorates this). In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness,victory & eternal life. They were commonly seen on ancient coins and important buildings. King Solomon had palm branches carved into the walls and doors of the temple (biblical reference: 1 Kings 6:29). Another reference is at the end of the bible, people from every nation raise palm branches to honor Jesus (biblical reference: Revelation 7:9)
It is my belief that the early creoles placed a palm behind the picture of a loved one as a symbol of their faith and reminder of not only eternal life but also of a reunion to come with passed loved ones . Anyone familiar with Creole culture can attest to the not so subtle homage to ancestors and many instances of ancestral veneration. A custom not just found in Catholicism but also in the indigenous African religions. One way to give someone or something eternal life is to simply pass down a custom until it becomes a tradition. While the identity of the Louisiana girl in the painting below has been lost to time. I placed a palm frond atop the frame in requiem.
Above: Portrait of a Creole girl. Second quarter nineteenth Century. Louisiana School. Inscription on the back appears to be shorthand for a name: Luc Ples *Luc(i) Ples(sy)? A cleaning as well as other restorative operations may unlock more clues about the painting. Including details such as the Artist, Sitter and exact time period. Currently over-paint obscures a corner of the painting that may have a signature/date.
– Jeremy Simien
P.S
Typically the palms were left in place until the next Palm Sunday. The old palms were brought to the local church rectory to be burned for ashes on Ash Wednesday.