SouthTalks: “Out of the Shadows: Antebellum Silhouettes and the Recovery of Enslaved Histories” by Teresa Parker

Of the millions of enslaved people whose labor underwrote the immense wealth of the antebellum South, few were ever memorialized in works of art. In her talk, Teresa Parker will examine a rare group of previously unknown silhouettes, cut in the 1840s by the French-born artist Auguste Edouart, and the archival work that reconstructs the lives of the enslaved individuals they represent. In doing so, Parker highlights the power of material culture to recover the stories of those otherwise silenced in the historical record. Teresa Parker is a cultural historian, public folklorist, and proud graduate of the University of Mississippi’s Southern Studies program. Following nearly two decades in museum, festival, and nonprofit arts work, she earned her PhD in history from Tulane University, where she later taught as a visiting assistant professor. She is currently completing her first book manuscript, “Chasing Shadows: Slavery and Silhouettes in the Nineteenth-Century South,” under contract with the Historic New Orleans Collection. Parker also serves as chair of the governor-appointed Louisiana Folklife Commission and as a longtime cultural consultant for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. SouthTalks is a series of events – including lectures, performances, film screenings and panel discussions – that explore the interdisciplinary nature of Southern studies. All events are at Barnard Observatory, unless otherwise noted, and are free and open to the public.