Scenes of Jamaican Life, c. 1906
A series of paintings depicting life in Jamaica in the early 1900s.
From: 1900 C.E. To: 1906 C.E.
Location: Jamaica
These paintings by artist Archibald Stevenson Forrest take us back to the island of Jamaica over 100 years ago. Enjoy the bright colors and scenes of daily life on the Caribbean island, along with a brief summary of the story behind this beautiful country.
The history of Jamaica is one of multiple cultural groups. The island’s original inhabitants were Arawak and Taino, or Yamaye, peoples. Their societies flourished on Jamaica for centuries before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Columbus’ arrival brought disease and violence to the island, nearly wiping out its population. However, Taino descendants are still living in Jamaica today.
The Spanish, for whom Columbus claimed the island, wanted to exploit its tropical climate to enrich their powerful empire. Sugar in particular was a valuable cash crop. As in other American colonies, the Spanish initially attempted to enslave Jamaica’s indigenous people. But population losses, combined with the Tainos’ knowledge of their own land, made this difficult. Instead, Spain began importing enslaved people from Africa to work on its plantations.
Conditions at this time were cruel. Enslaved people who escaped their captors fled inland, where they established free ‘maroon’ communities. These towns were also home to a number of Taino people, who taught their new neighbors how to live off the land.
Spanish control over Jamaica lasted until 1655, when the British Empire led a successful invasion. The British were also seeking land to grow sugar, and slavery continued under the new government, but enslaved people fought back. The maroon communities led a series of guerilla wars against the plantations, freeing more captives and winning recognition as free societies from the British Crown. After numerous hard-fought revolts, slavery ended in Jamaica, along with the rest of the British Empire, in 1838.
The arrival of the British also brought piracy to the shores of Jamaica. The colonial town Port Royal, founded by the Spanish in 1494, grew to be a major commercial hub of the Caribbean. The British government sponsored privateers to attack Spanish vessels, and the wealth of looted ships flowed into Port Royal as well. Eventually, some of these privateers abandoned allegiance to any crown, becoming full pirates instead.
After 1838, the newly freed people of Jamaica faced the task of building their own nation. Most wanted nothing to do with the sugar plantations, preferring instead to make a living as independent farmers. This caused the sugar plantations to import workers from China and India—often under terms little better than slavery. Today, the descendants of these laborers are another part of Jamaica’s diverse heritage.
The following decades proved challenging, with disease and natural disasters devastating whole communities. But over time, the people of Jamaica developed their own cultural identity. By the time of these paintings, c. 1900, both slavery and piracy were mostly legacies of the past. Racial discrimination, despite the island’s majority Black population, remains an issue to the present day. While poverty has long been a problem on the island, recent trends have seen Jamaica grow into a middle-income country.
Jamaica achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, though it is still a Commonwealth nation. Today, much of the island’s economy is based on tourism, welcoming visitors to enjoy its tropical climate and natural splendor. More recently, a new generation of entrepreneurs have expanded its financial profile. Jamaica has also contributed to global culture through its highly successful athletes and musical artists. After overcoming so much strife and building a nation together, the people of Jamaica will hopefully see bright futures.
References
Monteith, Kathleen and Glen L. Richards. Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom: History, Heritage and Culture. University of the West Indies Press, 2011.
Patterson, Orlando. The Confounding Island: Jamaica and the Postcolonial Predicament. Harvard University Press, 2019.
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