LA
FILLE
DE
COULEUR.
i. N O T H I N G else in the picturesque life of the French colonies of the Occident impresses the traveller on his first arrival more than the costumes of the women of color. They surprise the aesthetic sense agreeably ; — they are local and special : you will see nothing resembling them among the populations of the British West Indies ; they belong to Martinique, Guadeloupe, Désirade, Marie-Galante, and Cayenne,—in each place differing sufficiently to make the difference interesting, especially in regard to the head-dress. That of Martinique is quite Oriental ; — more attractive, although less fantastic than the Cayenne coiffure, or the pretty drooping mouchoir of Guadeloupe.
These costumes are gradually disappearing, for various reasons,—the chief reason being of course the changes in the social condition of the colonies during the last forty years. Probably the question of health had also something to do with the almost universal abandonment in Martinique of the primitive slave-dress,—chemise and jupe,—which exposed its wearer to serious risks of pneumonia; for as far as economical reasons are concerned, there was no fault to find with it : six francs could purchase it when money was worth more than it is now. T h e douillette, a long trailing dress, one piece from neck to feet, has taken its place.* But * T h e brightly c o l o r e d douillettes are classified b y t h e p e o p l e a c -