Toussaint Louverture (2012)

Toussaint Louverture — Haitian general and leader of the Haitian Revolution — is such an amazing historical figure that it’s kind of a tragedy that there’s only one real portrayal of him on film, the 2012 French TV movie, Toussaint Louverture, particularly since it’s never been released in the US. Luckily for us, it’s on YouTube with English subtitles, and it’s a really well-done biography of this hugely important person.

The real Louverture (1743-1803) was enslaved in what was then the French colony of Saint-Domingue. He was freed and became a plantation owner and slave owner in his own right. When the Haitian Revolution began — “the only slave uprising that led to the founding of a state which was both free from slavery … and ruled by non-whites and former captives” per Wikipedia — Louverture fought for ending slavery, first for the Spanish, then for the French. He created the first Haitian constitution, and was key in creating the sovereign state of Haiti.

*Toussaint Louverture on his arrival in Brest in 1802, engraving by Pierre-Charles Baquoy*

I’m currently in France, where the French Revolution is so key to culture in terms of having created the foundation for a just and egalitarian society … but where I (granted, an outsider) don’t really see many people grappling with the inherent contradiction that the French Revolution was very much for white people. The revolutionary governments, including Napoleon, fought literal wars to keep the Black people in their colonies enslaved and only finally capitulated to ending slavery in Saint-Domingue/Haiti as a political/military tactic. And, of course, there’s the horror that is the massive debt France demanded from Haiti, which directly caused the country’s centuries of poverty (with some added help from the United States) — read the New York Times‘s powerful reporting to know more.

The film Toussaint Louverture has two episodes and covers Louverture’s life through the lens of an interview with a French government official as Louverture is dying in a French prison. Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis portrays Louverture, and his performance is strong, garnering several film festival awards. There’s some debate about the historical accuracy of specific events shown in the film — read more at Wikipedia if you’re interested.

The costumes were co-designed by Cécile Dulac and Chouchane Tcherpachian, both of whom have designed a number of French productions, particularly for TV.

The miniseries primarily focuses on the 1770s through 1790s. Toussaint goes from enslaved to freed man in rough, linen-y shirts, waistcoats, and trousers:

2012 Toussaint Louverture — Don’t worry, we’ll circle back to the womenswear in a moment.

That waist sash appears in several images painted by Agostino Brunias, who painted numerous images of people across society in Dominica that are a fabulous and rare source for late-eighteenth-century clothing in the Caribbean:

Note the sash on the man on the far right | *A Cudgelling Match between English and French Negroes in the Island of Dominica by Agostino Brunias, 1779, Yale Center for British Art*

Shows up in several of Brunias’s images, like on the man center right | *A Negroes Dance in the Island of Dominica by Agostino Brunias, 1779, Yale Center for British Art*

Also note that his sash in the last image is madras fabric, which is a lightweight cotton fabric with a colorful woven plaid design. It was made in India and became a key item in the West African slave trade, as it was traded for slaves there and frequently worn by enslaved people in the Americas (How the colonial Madras fabric played a role in transatlantic slave trade).

When Louverture joins the Revolution, he transitions to uniforms:

And then spends some time in relatively upscale clothing. All the men’s costumes hit the major notes of 18th-century menswear, although I really know nothing about the uniforms so can’t comment there.

This white or mixed-race planter wears a lightweight suit with two elements that make it late-18th-century, the short waistline on the waistcoat and the long trousers instead of knee breeches | *Agostino Brunias, Planter and his Wife, with a Servant, c. 1780, Yale Center for British Art*

1780 - purple men's suit, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris — Compare the longer, inverted V shape on this 1780s waistcoat… | *Purple men’s suit, 1780s, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris*

1790 - waistcoat at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts — With the shorter, horizontal waistline of this one from the 1790s | *Waistcoat, 1790, Boston Museum of Fine Arts*

Of course, I know a lot more about and am more interested in, the women’s costumes, so let’s do a deep dive on those, because they’re very interesting!

The main female character is Suzanne, Louverture’s wife, played by Aïssa Maïga. She’s a freedwoman and when we first meet her, she’s in relatively simple colored chemises, lace-up bodices, and petticoats with headwraps:

How authentic is this? Brunias’s images primarily show women wearing white or striped white-and-colored loose jackets, although I see one figure that could maaaaybe be wearing a similar bodice if I really stretch. I’m not seeing colored chemises in any of Brunias’s artworks, so I’m very suspicious of those.

Linen Market, Dominica by Agostino Brunias, c. 1780, Yale Center for British Art. Click through to Wikipedia for a super high-res version if you’d like to peer at the details.

As time goes on and she moves more upscale, Suzanne’s wardrobe improves in terms of historical accuracy:

So the chemise à la reine (or robe en chemise) is a complicated style. It originated in the Caribbean where lightweight cottons made much more sense than heat-trapping silks, but as with most fashions, but there’s no definite origin story. I did a deep dive on my own blog about what scholars have written about it so far, but here’s a quick recap:

According to the most specific source on the subject, Jane Ashelford’s article “‘Colonial livery’ and the chemise à la reine, 1779–1784,” the dress originated in the French Caribbean where it was worn by upper- and middle-class white and free Black women. It was then imported to France (and on to the rest of Europe) through Bordeaux, which was the main French port to the Caribbean.

The gown was made of fine, lightweight cotton — usually, but not always, white — and gathered on drawstrings at the neckline and waist, and sometimes mid-bust. Early examples were gathered all the way around and had elbow-length, full sleeves:

*Dress (Chemise à la Reine), 1783-90, Manchester Galleries*. Note the neck ruffle is a later addition, although the style often had that element.

Later examples had fitted backs and/or long, fitted sleeves:

*Chemise gown belonging to Madame Oberkampf, Musée de la Toile de Jouy*

So, it is the perfect gown for Suzanne to wear given she’s a free woman of color living in the Caribbean! We’ll circle back to the style when we look at other characters.

Suzanne spends most of her time in the country, where she’s a definite fan of those bodices or short jackets.

As we get into the late 1790s and early 1800s, she changes to your typical high-waisted “Regency” gown. I was very impressed by the headwear, as big hair wrapped in layers of fabric was the style worn by Black women — and white women as well. There’s a great article that traces these back to West African traditions, analyzes some of the Brunias artwork, and notes how high headwraps were adopted by white women in the Caribbean as well.

It’s on point for the period, although maybe a scooch later? *Gown, c. 1810, Victoria & Albert Museum*

High headwraps — on the center lady, covered by a hat — were fashionable in the Caribbean, particularly for women of color | *Free West Indian Dominicans by Agostino Brunias, c. 1770, Yale Center for British Art*

The other interesting character, costume-wise, is the wife of Sonothrax, the French governor of Saint-Domingue. She’s mixed race, which is interesting on several levels (as a character, she mostly just wants to go to France; it’s interesting from a viewing standpoint because you get to see the high social class of mixed race people). Her costumes (and hair) have some hits and some misses: