Preta Fernanda
Preta Fernanda | |
---|---|
Born | Andrêsa do Nascimento 1859 |
Died | 27 August 1927 Lisbon, Portugal | (aged 67–68)
Other names | Fernanda do Vale |
Occupation(s) | Courtesan, society figure |
Andrêsa do Nascimento (1859 – 27 August 1927), known as Preta Fernanda, was a courtesan and celebrated society figure in fin de siècle Lisbon. She was also known as Fernanda do Vale (her pen name). She was, perhaps, the best known black citizen of the city in that period.[1][2]
Fernanda was born to poor parents in a small village near
When she was about 19, she sailed away from the small Atlantic island in the company of a ship's captain, Jerónimo Martins, who promised her marriage, but abandoned her once they arrived in Dakar, on the African coast.[3][6][7] She subsequently married a German beer maker, Frederick "Fritz" Kemps, who took her to Lisbon, and with whom she had twins. According to some sources her husband died; others say he was habitually drunk and abandoned her.[2][3][6]
Regardless, Fernanda found herself alone again, and in order to support herself and her children, she worked briefly as a model for Italian sculptor
She found steadier work in 1889 as a lady's maid for a high society woman, a member of the influential Cavalcanti family.[2] She stayed in this position for nearly two decades.
After eighteen years, she left the lady's service and, using her savings and her society contacts, opened a brothel in Lisbon's
In 1912 Fernanda published an autobiography, Recordações d'uma Colonial (Recollections of a Colonial Subject), written with help from two friends.[3] The memoir tells the story of her life in Cape Verde and Portugal, but the authors sometimes forsook accuracy in favor of a more exciting story.[1][3] She diligently recorded all of the men who had shared her bed (but not their true names), and in the final chapter offered candid commentary on each man's sexual performance.[2][7] A modern reader notes that, in today's context, the language of the book is racist and reflects stereotypes of its time.[2]
Little is known of her life after 1912. Fernanda died in Lisbon on 20 August 1927.[4]
References
- ^ ISBN 9781787381070.
- ^ a b c d e "Debaixo da nossa Pele IV: Retrato de Uma Senhora". Expresso das Ilhas (in Portuguese). 8 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ar livre: A preta Fernanda no coração do império". Expresso das Ilhas (in Portuguese). 20 October 2017.
- ^ a b c "Preta Fernanda". Testemunhos da Escravatura (Testimonies of Slavery). Lisbon City Hall. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- S2CID 144674377.
- ^ S2CID 245851784.
- ^ a b Valdemar, António. "Avenida da Liberdade". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Cardoso, Margarida David (25 March 2017). "Do apartheid envergonhado à "Preta Fernanda": o rasto de África nas ruas de Lisboa". Publico (in Portuguese).