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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 11h

I'm honored to have advised “Sunday Best,” exploring Black fashion, spirituality, and community at the @agotoronto.bsky.social. Its opening looks pair Frederick Douglass’s coat and top hat with Anna Murray Douglass’s wedding dress, recreated by Cassandra Bromfield. ago.ca/exhibitions/...

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

A photo of a photo in the making. Circa 1937, Eliot Elisofon captured Zack Brown photographing two unidentified men peacocking on a Harlem sidewalk. Their boaters and tailored suiting project ease and elegance beside a gleaming automobile, likely a Buick. nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2010.53.4

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Textile literacy was essential to the early history of hip-hop. Grandmaster Flash used felt and wax paper as DIY tools to create a custom slipmat for his turntables. Standard turntables generated too much friction for him to move a record smoothly by hand while extending drum breaks.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I’ll join Monica Miller to discuss Portrait of Pierre Louis Alexandre, a recent addition by Swedish artist Alma Holsteinson to the collection of the @agotoronto.bsky.social. Together, we’ll explore the portrait’s connections to the AGO’s exhibition Sunday Best.

ago.ca

Monica Miller and Jonathan Michael Square in Conversation - Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | Art Gallery of Ontario

With a collection of more than 90,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Alma Holsteinson’s Portrait of Pierre Louis Alexandre depicts a dockworker who became a frequently portrayed black models in 19th-century Europe. It will be the focus of a talk between me and Monica Miller on Oct 21 at the the AGO. ago.ca/events/monica-miller-and-jonathan-michael-square-conversation

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

To understand American popular culture is to understand minstrelsy. Join me and historian Rhae Lynn Barnes for a conversation about her book Darkology, exploring the disturbing history of blackface and its lasting influence. See us next Monday at 6pm at The New School. event.newschool.edu/darkology

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This 1830 painting by Arnaud Julien Pallière depicts the artist’s son with his mother on the veranda of his grandfather Grandjean de Montigny’s home in Rio de Janeiro. Although mother and child occupy the center of the composition, the scene is structured by the labor of 3 domestics, likely enslaved

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, a Wampanoag man and 1665 Harvard graduate, is portrayed in this portrait hanging in the south wall of Annenberg Hall at Harvard. He wears a dark 17-century doublet with a broad white collar while a patterned blanket draped over his lap evokes Wampanoag textile traditions.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Ophelia DeVore, widely recognized as America’s first black model, founded an influential charm school and the Grace Del Marco modeling agency, expanding Black representation on the runway and laying groundwork for New York Fashion Week.

vogue.com

How Fashion Week Forgot Its Black Inspiration

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch announced that he is stepping down as the institution he leads faces an escalating battle with the Trump administration over how it tells the American story."

youtube.com

Lonnie Bunch on his legacy and protecting the Smithsonian from political pressure

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

"Descendants of David Drake have traced their lineage back to the once-enslaved potter and launched an effort to reclaim their ancestor’s work. They say the effort has not only reconnected them with their family’s legacy but also raised broader questions about art ownership and restitution."

youtube.com

Descendants of enslaved potter David Drake work to reclaim ancestor's art

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

In 1957, Ghanaian finance minister Komla Agbeli Gbedemah posed with Eisenhower and Nixon after being refused service at a Howard Johnson’s. Eisenhower responded by inviting him to the White House. Draped in kente, Gbedemah stands between the American leaders during Ghana’s 1st year of independence.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Walter Fryer Stocks’s Portrait of Mrs. Fanny Eaton (1859) is an early image of the Jamaican-born model who became a familiar presence in Pre-Raphaelite art. Stocks depicts Eaton with unusual specificity, emphasizing her face, textured hair, jewelry, and contemplative gaze.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Luigi Lucioni’s portrait of singer and actress Ethel Waters, based on a photograph by Carl Van Vechten, contrasts her brilliant red, Chinese-inspired dress and chartreuse backdrop with her pensive expression. Arms folded and gaze averted, Waters appears guarded and self-protective.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

In this 1924 portrait, taken by James Van Der Zee in Harlem during the UNIA convention, Prince Kojo Tovalou-Houénou sits between George O. Marke (left) and Marcus Garvey (right).

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The artwork of Willie Cole takes center stage in Ferragamo’s Fall/Winter 2026 campaign. Anok Yai sits regally atop "Made in the Philippines IV (1994)," a throne of secondhand pumps referencing Imelda Marcos, whose nearly 3,000 pairs of shoes became symbols of extravagance and political corruption.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Bert Williams (left) and George Walker (right) were a celebrated theatrical duo. Williams performed in blackface, while Walker cultivated an urbane black dandy persona. Here, their matching top hats and coats collapse that distinction: both appear stylish and self-possessed.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

My post on Assis Horta, I’ve been looking at Chichico Alkmim, his friend and predecessor in Diamantina, Minas Gerais. Alkmim favored formal, full-length portraits of black and mixed-race residents. For both photographers, clothing shaped how Afro-Brazilians fashioned themselves before the camera.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Dinah occupies the center of Daniel G. LaMont’s Benjamin Thompson’s Farewell (1850). Enslaved by the Thompsons, she holds the infant Sarah. She recedes as the child emerges brightly against her, embodying white domestic life’s dependence on enslaved women’s care. nhhistory.org/object/224081/painting

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I'm obsessed with the work of Assis Horta. He often photographed black & mixed-race workers and their families in Diamantina in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Many didn't own fine clothing, so Horta kept a studio wardrobe of garments & accessories that allowed his sitters to style themselves.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Let’s talk about the history behind the names we use. I’m breaking down some of the terminology from my latest article in Winterthur Portfolio. What’s your take on this history?

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

This is a recording of a panel discussion presented by Poster House. Moderated by curator Es-pranza Humphrey, performer-scholar Chicava HoneyChild and I explore the style, performance, and cultural significance of black chorus girls from the era of enslavement to the early 20th century.

youtube.com

Black Chorus Girls: A Panel Conversation

YouTube video by Poster House

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

@dorothyjberry.bsky.social is one of the most fearless writers I know. In the latest Winterthur Portfolio that I edited, she pairs William J. Wilson's imagined Afric-American Picture Gallery with J. P. Ball and her own work as an archivist to explore black archives and AI's promises and perils.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This is Mary Fleet's 1749 needlework picture, the starting point for Mariah Kupfner's essay "Many Hands" in the latest Winterthur Portfolio. She reveals how seemingly white-authored objects were shaped by the labor and creativity of enslaved black artisans. journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/741349

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, the CFDA invited designers to reimagine the American flag. Tremaine Emory's Denim Tears design honors his grandfather, a brick mason, and evokes Georgia's iron-rich red clay, where his family has longstanding roots.

uff.cfda.com

Denim Tears

Drawing from memories of halcyon summers in Harlem, Georgia, the design honors the legacy of Tremaine Emory’s grandfather, a celebrated brick mason, while also serving as a deeply personal tribute to ...

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This is Reed Gochberg with Judy Woodruff on PBS Newshour Reed introduced me to Afric-American Picture Gallery when we shared an office at Harvard. I'm thrilled she contributed to my issue of Winterthur Portfolio, drawing on her exhibition Whose Revolution to rethink slavery and material culture.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Rest in power Betye Saar. Her 1972 assemblage The Liberation of Aunt Jemima transformed a racist icon into a symbol of black resistance. Armed with a rifle and grenades, Aunt Jemima becomes a revolutionary committed to black liberation. Over 50 years later, it remains a defining work of American art

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Derrick Spires captured this photo of his students stepping around a projected Sankofa in Almost Unknown. In the latest Winterthur Portfolio, he brings "Afric-American Picture Gallery" in conversation with my exhibition and Santigold and Kara Walker's Banshee journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/741464

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Britt Russert is the leading scholar of the "Afric-American Picture Gallery." In a few weeks, Duke will publish her long-awaited book on the text. With Mia L. Bagneris, Russert also contributed an article to the latest issue of Winterthur Portfolio, which I edited as a companion to my exhibition.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm excited to share my essay "The Evolution of the Afric-American" in the latest issue of Winterthur Portfolio, which traces more than 200 years of debates over how people of African descent in the United States have named ourselves. journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/741299

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

"Imitation of Life" reveals the contradictions of black representation in Hollywood. While Louise Beavers gives a powerful performance in the film, the poster centers the melodrama of racial passing through the figure of Peola, reflecting contemporary anxieties about race, beauty, and belonging.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

George Walker and Bert Williams were among the most celebrated theatrical partners of the early twentieth century. Bert Williams performed in blackface while George Walker did not. Williams became famous through a blackface persona, while Walker cultivated the image of an urbane black dandy.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Curator Es-pranza Humphrey reflects on how Florence Mills and Josephine Baker redefined the possibilities of black womanhood on stage. posterhouse.org/event/black-chorus-girls-a-panel-conversation

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Curator Es-pranza Humphrey shared that these objects were surprisingly affordable. Because many dealers and collectors struggle to find buyers for racist artifacts, objects like these can sometimes be acquired at low prices despite their historical significance.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I'm delighted to share the publication of the latest issue of Winterthur Portfolio, which I had the privilege of editing. The issue centers on "Afric-American Picture Gallery," the text on which I based my exhibition of the same name at Winterthur. journals.uchicago.edu/toc/wp/current

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Often remembered as the mischievous black girl from Uncle Tom's Cabin, Topsy became one of the most recognizable and distorted figures in popular culture. At Poster House. I'll explore how Topsy's likeness circulated and why reclaiming her helps us better understand representations of black girlhood

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Preparing for my July 25 event at Poster House has taken me back to Almost Unknown. Alongside the exhibition, I curated a companion installation exploring the legacy of Uncle Tom's Cabin through material culture. I hope you'll join us! posterhouse.org/event/black-chorus-girls-a-panel-conversation

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Es-pranza Humphrey, curator of "Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen" at Poster House, explains how the enduring popularity of Uncle Tom's Cabin helped create the conditions that made all-Black revues both necessary. posterhouse.org/event/black-chorus-girls-a-panel-conversation

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Join Es-pranza Humphrey, curator of Act Black: Posters from Black American Stage & Screen, in conversation with Kimberly Jenkins, Chicava HoneyChild, and me on July 25 at Poster House. posterhouse.org/event/black-chorus-girls-a-panel-conversation

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Check out "Act Black" and join Espranza Humphrey in conversation with Kimberly Jenkins, Chicava HoneyChild, and me on July 25. Hope to see you there!

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

How do we feel about the use of AI to create images of historical figures? It can help us visualize people that are poorly represented in the historical record, making the past feel more accessible. But viewers who may not recognize that what they're seeing is a computer-generated reconstruction.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I was honored to speak with Aiyana Ishmael, style editor at Cosmopolitan, for this thoughtful essay on Black Americans reclaiming American identity and the American flag 🇺🇸

cosmopolitan.com

Who Gets to Wear the American Flag? A Black American’s Fourth of July Reflection

There’s no world where those colors don’t also belong to me.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Nathaniel Mary Quinn reimagines Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring through his signature "exquisite corpse" aesthetic. Here Quinn references a childhood friend named Erica. By reimagining an icon of European art through the memory of Erica, Quinn turns a canonical image into an act of remembrance.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

This photo by Stephen B. Morton offers an illustration of the flag as veil, to borrow Du Bois’s metaphor. The image stages patriotism as both belonging and obstruction. The flag does not bind his eyes; it drapes over them, soft and loose, creating the illusion of freedom even as it limits vision.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

This photo of Lorenzo Dow Turner was taken when he received his MA in English from Harvard. He appears in a tailored dark 3-piece suit with broad lapels, a high-collared white shirt, and a patterned tie secured neatly at the neck. anacostia.si.edu/collection/archives/object/sova-acma-06-017-ref2994

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

This oil-on-canvas portrait of Dred Scott was painted by Louis Schultze after a photograph taken by John H. Fitzgibbon in 1857. In light of yesterday’s birthright citizenship ruling, the portrait reminds us that black people fashioned citizenship in cloth long before the law recognized it.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

George R. Roberts, a free black sailor and hero of the War of 1812, is pictured here in old age wearing the remnants of 19-century working-class dress. He wears a collared shirt & neckcloth beneath a heavily patched waistcoat and outer coat, preserving the structure of menswear despite visible wear.

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Geoffrey Holder is best known as an actor, especially for his role as Baron Samedi in "Live and Let Die," but he was also a gifted designer, choreographer, and visual artist. This ensemble, designed by Holder, was worn by André De Shields in his role as the Wiz. nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2007.3.8

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Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom @fashioningtheself.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Mary and Emily Edmonson were formerly enslaved sisters who became prominent abolitionist figures after surviving the a 1848 escape on a ship called Pearl. Captured and nearly sold into sexual slavery in New Orleans, they were freed through abolitionist fundraising. loc.gov/pictures/item/91789694

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