New Black History Month stamp features Marie Joseph Angélique

Canada Post has issued a new Black History Month stamp featuring Marie Joseph Angélique.

Her story not only sheds light on the tragic history of enslavement in what is now Canada – it also reveals a woman who sought to resist her bondage and empower herself in ways that were available to her.

Marie Joseph Angélique was a Black woman who was enslaved by Thérèse de Couagne in Montréal. She had a reputation for defiance – including, at one point, allegedly threatening to kill her enslaver.

In early 1734, she learned she had been sold for 600 pounds of gunpowder and heard rumours that her new enslaver was planning to sell her into enslavement in the West Indies. She decided to flee.

She ran away with her lover Claude Thibault, who was a white labourer. However, two weeks later, they were found. Thibault was sent to jail briefly, while Angélique was sent back to her enslaver.

This event added to her reputation for rebellion, which would have fateful consequences for the 29-year-old.

The fire

On the evening of Saturday, April 10, 1734, a fire broke out in Montréal that engulfed much of the city’s merchant quarter. Dozens of buildings and homes burned down.

The next morning, Angélique was accused of starting the fire with Thibault.

It was alleged she lit the fire to aid another escape attempt. Although he could not be found, she was arrested.

The trial

During her interrogation, Angélique maintained her innocence. According to historical documentation, she had once said, “Madam, although I may be wicked, I am not miserable enough to do an act like that.”

However, she was put on trial for arson. It was a crime punishable by death.

More than 20 witnesses accused her, although not one is believed to have seen the crime committed. Most said they believed Angélique was guilty because of her history of rebelling against and threatening her owner and because she had tried to escape before.

One witness was a five-year-old girl who was the niece of Thérèse de Couagne, Angelique’s enslaver. The girl said she saw the accused carrying a shovel of coals up to de Couagne’s attic.

The verdict

After several weeks, the trial concluded. The courts found Angélique guilty and condemned her to death.

The law of the time allowed for the convicted to be tortured in order to obtain a confession and to discover details of the crime. This happened to Angélique, who was tortured until she said she lit the fire. However, she told them she had acted alone and that Thibault had no part in the crime.

That same day – June 21, 1734 – Angélique was publicly hanged.

Representing Angélique on a stamp

There are no known portraits of Marie Joseph Angélique, which means creating an authentic representation for a stamp was challenging.

“There had been a few interpretations of her in theatre, paintings and even in film, but none seemed historically accurate,” says stamp designer Nathalie Cusson. This made consulting with historians crucial.

The historians advised Cusson on everything from fabric samples, to archival images, to historical texts, to how enslaved women in the 18th century tied their head wrap.

The significance of the pose

Choosing a pose for Angélique was also important.

Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson is the founding Director of the Slavery North Initiative at University of Massachusetts Amherst, which supports research on the history of slavery in the U.S. North and in Canada. She explains that historical representations of women and especially Black women have tended to render them as objects – and often sexualized objects – of a dominant white male gaze.

“One key strategy has been to deny them vision in any way that would meet the eyes of the assumed viewer… especially in ways that denote confrontation or self-knowledge,” says Nelson. “The pose and countenance of the woman in this stamp are in defiance of this history.”

Capturing Angélique’s emotion

On the stamp, Angélique is shown with agency and resolve while defiantly facing the viewer.

To capture this, a photoshoot was facilitated with model and actor Penande Estime. Photographer Jorge Camarotti took a range of photos showing Estime looking proud, angry, defiant, dignified and rebellious.

Once the photograph with the most fitting expression and pose was selected, illustrator Alexis Eke recreated the portrait.

Eke ensured that the garments, accessories and surroundings were accurate to the period. The colour of the background, a burnt orange sky, was chosen to represent both Angélique’s fiery personality and her tragic story.

Her legacy

Although historians disagree on whether Angélique was guilty, her harrowing story reminds Canadians of the history of enslavement in our country and offers insight into how those who were enslaved resisted their bondage.

Her story continues to encourage ongoing conversations about racial equality, justice and the importance of acknowledging the complexities of Canada’s past.