Subject: [History] Life in Paramaribo
Article:

In 1831, Paramaribo had a population of 9,000 to 10,000 citizens. Some 1,000 were white, 1,000 Jewish, 600 Creoles, blacks Mullatos and 7,000 slaves of 'various color' who worked as domestic servants, carpenters, locksmiths, shoemaker [33], wigmakers [19], tailors [32], dairymen, vegetable and fish sales people. All proceeds went to the slave owners. Despite the large number of slaves there were no beggars in the streets like in those days in Europe. At this time, there were 806 plantations (including the ones which had been abandoned). Coffee, sugar, cotton and timber were grown on these plantations. Most plantation owners lived in Europe and their managers run the plantations for them. Benoit notes also that slaves often do have their own slaves as he shows them in his paintings. [19] A hairdresser, though a slave himself, hires a slave boy for money to follow him and carry his combs etc. Tailor shops are run by slaves, who, in their turn, keep their own slaves [32]. Europeans ordered and bought all their fancy clothing in Europe. The [number] indicates the numbering of the plates of Benoit's paintings in 'Reis door Suriname'. [19] A wigmaker (creole slave) followed by his own slave-boy carrying combs, pomade, powder and curling tongues. [32] A tailor shop run by slaves. [33] A shoemaker's shop run by slaves. Benoit finds life in Paramaribo fairly uniform and conversation, for lack of news from Europe, was dull and was mostly talk about local news. Streets were safe and there was an eight o'clock curfew for all slaves. Thus was life in Paramaribo around the year 1831. -----------


Met dank aan Albert Buys








Met dank aan Albert Buys