This week’s Colouring page is based on the traditional Carnival Character fondly known as Dame Lorraine.

The Dame Lorraine character is a parody of the masquerade played by French planters of the 18th and 19th century. On the Sunday before carnival, they would dress up and parade in fancy costumes of the French aristocracy at group gatherings at private homes where they would also dance sophisticated dances of that period.

The liberated slaves recreated these elaborate costumes with whatever scraps of readily available materials they could collect. They would often emphasize the bosom and behind with pillows or stuffing for added comedic effect.