Black and white photo: a mulatto woman takes pictures of herself in the image of her white ancestors

Photographer Stacey Tyrell explores the legacy of colonialism and a family with both black and white ancestors in a series called Backra Bluid.

(Total 12 photos)

Becoming Backra Bluid: Photographs by Stacey…

The girl considers herself a Negroid race, but for filming she puts on white makeup on her face, then to capture herself in the image of her white ancestors. She believes that this helps her to live in harmony with herself and find her place in the world.

Bonnie, 35, and twins Lara and Macy, 9.

The large Tyrell family comes from the island of Nevis in the Caribbean, a British colony until 1983, but Stacey grew up in Canada. Her experience as a swarthy girl from a migrant family strongly influenced her attitude towards the racial issue. Most of her schoolmates had little knowledge of colonial history and doubted that Tyrell had Scottish roots.

Rona, 28 years old.

In 2011, after moving to the United States, Stacey began work on the photo project Backra Bluid, where the image of a black person is very different from what her African American colleagues offer.

Ismay, 44 years old.

“The history of African Americans dominates the world as a history of the treatment of black people,” explains the photographer. — This story has value and importance, but it is only a part of many stories. I am not African American. So I work from a point of view outside of that experience. I hope my pictures help spark a discussion about what it's like to be black."

Kate and Alison, 12 years old.

Tyrell's photographs challenge conventional wisdom about how racial and class origins are reflected in a family portrait. Her characters are clearly high society, exquisitely and impeccably dressed, but their frozen faces and forced poses hint that race and ancestry class can be played on camera.

Winifred, 16 years old.

All of Tyrell's characters look directly at the camera, and for good reason. In fact, when she takes her pictures, she deliberately puts the camera at chest level so that her characters look down.

Tamsin, 40 years old.

“I want to try on this look that has been used in aristocratic art for centuries,” explains Stacey.

Ruth, 25, and Lillian, 3 months.

In one of the photographs, titled "Ismay 44," Tyrell depicts a woman in a white floral dress with her legs crossed and bright red lips. Despite Ismay's frilly image, it's hard to tell if she belongs to black or white society, past or present. According to Tyrell, this uncertainty is at the heart of her idea. “My grandfather had fair skin. If he decided to shave his head and marry another woman, he would easily become part of the white society. Race and identity are not so clear cut, and we need new ways to talk about differences,” says Stacey.

Mara, 17 years old.

Fiona, 27, and Maggie, 50.

Yuna, 24 years old.

Bodisea, 54 years old.

Agnola, 62 years old.