Colonial Life in Saint Domingue
Bombardopolis ou Bombarde dans l’isle de St. Domingue is an ink on paper illustration that depicts the town structure and life in the northern part of what is now modern day Haiti. Bombardopolis, as stated by the image notes, was a colonial town run under the control of German settlers that were given power by the French after a “disastrous French expedition… to colonize Kourou in French Guiana” (JCB notes). This image appears to show a well established town of enslaved people performing daily activities that exist outside of plantation work, pointing toward a sense of self-sufficiency and ability to exercise personal freedoms.
It is speculated that this image was illustrated by Nicolas Perignon, a famous French painter who was best known for his depictions of various European cityscapes and rustic landscapes. If this painter was indeed the illustrator of this photo, the date of its illustration could be put somewhere between Bombardopolis’s settlement in 1765 to the date of Pérignon’s death in 1782 (Art Institute of Chicago). This information is crucial to the image as this would place the scene before the August 21st, 1791 Saint Domingue rebellion that swept the northern part of Haiti in a violent yet successful slave uprising. The image notes state that this illustration does in fact depict enslaved black people but the location appears to be calmer and more laid back than a plantation settlement.
The image itself depicts a small colonial town in an impressively organized, grid-like structure that differs from a traditional plantation environment. Some clues point toward this community existing outside of plantation work and enslaved labor as the townspeople seem self sufficient in their daily activities. There are structurally sound and uniform houses placed on dirt roads with small plots of land resembling independently run farms, perhaps to sustain the townspeople rather than for agricultural economy purposes. This area of Saint Domingue was best known for sugar and coffee production, a crop that is usually tall and unruly, therefore the plots of land surrounding the houses do not point towards being a part of plantation labor. These settlements are also constructed in a way that makes a central plot of land resembling an orchard the focus of the town, just large enough to feed the town but not for export purposes. Outside of farm work, there appear to be multiple towns people holding sticks approximately 5 feet long, suggesting that this community is within walking distance of a water source that provides adequate fishing. The movements of the people in this image seem sporadic and free unlike the heavily uniform and controlled behavior of those enslaved on plantations.
The people in the image are dressed in clothing of various occasions, with some in full length dresses and casual suits and others in simple linen clothing. In the left foreground, there are a group of men and women in lightweight working clothes that contrast to those on the right who wear more formal attire. The group on the left appear to be walking into town with fishing poles and bags, only stopping to study the group of children on the right who are dancing and playing music. It is in this activity that you can see some semblance of secrecy in this society as this freeform activity takes place in the more remote, mountainous side of the town that is free from the eyes of elders and German settlers. The use of punishment on Bombardopolis may come less from corporal forms but more so from the presence of Christian doctrine and institutions. A church is located in the mid-ground just across from the orchard-like town square, its central location suggesting the significance of Christianity to the community. The children that are dancing appear to be dressed modestly, in line with Christian beliefs, and could be receiving religious teachings from the institution.
Works Cited
Bombardopolis ou Bombarde dans l’isle de St. Domingue, John Carter Brown Library, Box 1894, Brown UNiversity, Providence, R.I. 02912
“Nicolas Pérignon.” The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/artists/100684/nicolas-perignon.
