The Privilege of Heirlooms and Historical Fiction…
Two things I’ve seen lately on my timeline: President Biden’s Bible and everything Bridgerton. While these two seemingly share no relationship, well other than alliteration, they both peaked my interest for this reason: The Bible and Regency/Georgian fiction as a whole are emblematic of the privilege of being the winner.
Also known as White privilege.
Bridgerton has received a great deal of praise at its attempt to include Black /Indigenous/People of Color (BIPOC) in an 18th and 19th Century British drama a la Pride and Prejudice (although The Duke of Hastings will NEVER be a Fitzwilliam Darcy. #youtriedit). And if you’re questioning the word “attempt”, I would suggest looking at these videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYPB5nJV3h8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XQxFcRfWSc
I’m obsessed with the British. I’ll readily admit it. From Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, King Arthur and Merlin, King Henry VIII, and everything in between, I’ve had an unhealthy obsession with the Brits since I first read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles in seventh grade. I have memories and childhood sketches often imagining myself being presented at court fluttering my fan as quickly as my lashes and being touted as the most eligible, marriable lady vying for her chance to be a Countess. The thought of being swept away to a world where love was strategized, fashion was an event, and everything sparkles under the cloak of intrigue is an escapist fantasy.
Basil Rathborne as Sherlock Holmes
But as a lover of African history as well, where is my equivalent to dream about? There are no Bridgertons to aspire to on the continent. Nobody follows modern-day African royalty remarking on how many times they wear the same dress as the press does for Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge. We don’t have a profusion of writing and images denoting the rules of courtly love and dress in the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe, no fashion historians on Youtube discussing the nuances of hoop skirts versus crinolines. (Here’s looking at you Karolina Zebrowska). Where are the hundreds of historical costumers recreating the fashions of the 16th century Malian court? In fact, finding African fashion historians is a task in itself! Why don’t we have the beautifully preserved palaces to rival Buckingham Palace or Versailles? Why don’t little Black girls and boys imagine what it would be like to be introduced in the halls of Meroe or Malawi? (I have an idea...read this article to see why.)
The Ruins at Kilwa Kisiwani
I recently read an article (and I apologize because I cannot find it anywhere, otherwise I would place it here) where a world-renowned fashion historian had her own reckoning with the lack of Black costumers/fashion historians in number and in visibility. She made a commitment to start showcasing more Black voices in that world and to intentionally try to include Black figures in her recreations. My response to her post was, “I appreciate that, but even highlighting our presence in 17th, 18th, and 19th century European Fashion (her specialty) shows the holes in history, as these limited images are all represented under the gaze of White people. The fact that there is not a large following for African fashions of the same periods is saddening because we have very little to emulate or to compare, even though we know our civilizations were comparable.”
“Young Woman with Servant” by Stephen Slaughter (1697-1765).
And even moving away from fashion into faces, where are they? I love that Queen Charlotte is represented as a Black woman in Bridgerton. Her race has been the subject of controversy for years, and think pieces often emerge whenever traces of Black Royalty arise in popular conversations. (Think Megan Markle). Queen Charlotte’s appearance is the subject of many a historian’s dissertation, but the reality is they actually have contemporary paintings and descriptions of her to debate. Where are the portraits of Queen Nandi, Queen Charlotte’s contemporary, mother to Shaka Zulu and powerful voice in Southern Africa? We know Africans were more than capable of leaving representations, paintings, and monuments to their rulers; just look to Nubia and Egypt. Why don’t we have the same documentation from other countries on the continent as we do from Egypt? Did they ever exist? My guess is they did, but those parts of us were destroyed, or simply weren’t valued enough to maintain once Europeans gained a footing in the race towards colonialism across the continent.
Queen Charlotte by Alan Ramsay
Illustration of Queen Nandi
And in referencing President Biden’s Bible, tangible representations of family lineage were not afforded to Black people in the United States. How can you pass down the “things” when you don’t have the “things?!” Most people looked at President Biden’s Bible and mocked it’s girth. I looked at it and thought, “I wish my family had something so special…and so old.” But considering our history, how could we? The reality is Black people were LEGALLY enslaved up until 1865 in this country but were never LEGALLY equals until the 1960’s (on paper). Having a family Bible requires having the privilege to READ. Having beautiful heirlooms to pass down implies having the privilege to EARN and SAVE. Saying “This land or this business has been in my family since 1750,” implies the privilege of OWNERSHIP. And knowing who all your relatives are to even place in a Bible reinforces the privilege of FAMILY. We can never forget that Black families had been ripped apart in slavery, and the tears and holes have never been repaired. For us, it is knowing that we can claim African origin without really knowing where in Africa we originated from.
Watching shows like Bridgerton…seeing family Bibles and heirlooms…all of this reminds me of what we collectively do not have. I am hopeful that this will continue to change. Over the last twenty years, I am so encouraged by the Black scholarship, archeology, and conversations surrounding Black history, both here in America, across the diaspora, and in the Motherland. Finding new Black and Brown faces being represented in historical fiction, while problematic, is exciting nonetheless. I pray that with renewed interest will come renewed financing to find the missing pieces and to showcase them in celebratory ways. And seeing so many Black people build families and accumulate resources gives me hope that children will grow up in a world where heirlooms are so special to us not because they are unique, but because they are commonplace.
Do you have any family heirlooms that are important to you? What are they and how have they shaped your appreciation of history? Send me a message and let me know!
