A Creative Act of Dandyism

August 3, 2023 7:10 AM

He did not merely attempt to imitate his social betters, impersonate a gentleman, or claim the privileges of Whiteness. Instead, he deployed style and self-presentation to invent a new kind of negro. In a city where “Black gentleman” and “Black dandy” were unthinkable oxymorons, and where Black men in fine dress were read either as liveried servants or absurd, out-of-place upstarts, Raúl forced White Porteños to contend with and make sense of a flamboyant Black man who turned style into a feature of his singular brand. And not just, as his studio photograph attests, the prescribed buttoned-down style of the “gentleman”, but the more knowing, often outrageous style of the bohemian dandy. from The Black Dandy of Buenos Aires, Racial Fictions and the Search for Raúl Grigera [CW: historical racism]

A Review of Black Legend: The Many Lives of Raúl Grigera and the Power of Racial Storytelling in Argentina [ReVista]

posted by chavenet (2 comments total)

This looks fascinating and thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing chavenet.
posted by Fizz at 8:57 AM on August 3, 2023 [2 favorites]

This is amazing, and just ordered. I would also direct people to Dandy Lion: The Black Dandy and Street Style which covers a lot of dandism in history up to today. The absolute style on display.
posted by petrilli at 10:07 AM on August 3, 2023 [2 favorites]