Louisa Picquet

Louisa Picquet (c. 1829, Columbia, South Carolina – August 11, 1896, New Richmond, Ohio) was an African American born into slavery. Her slave narrative, Louisa Picquet, the Octoroon, or, Inside Views of Southern Domestic Life, was published in 1861. The narrative, written by abolitionist pastor Hiram Mattison, details Picquet's experiences with subjects like sexual violence, Christianity, and colorism. By producing the narrative, Mattison and Picquet hoped to raise enough money to buy Picquet's mother out of slavery.

Personal life Louisa Picquet was born on a plantation in Lexington County, South Carolina. Picquet's master, John Randolph, sold Picquet and her mother to David R. Cook, who fled to Mobile, Alabama with his slaves after getting into trouble with creditors.

When Cook defaulted on his debts, Picquet was sold at auction to John Williams in New Orleans, separating her from her mother and infant brother. After Williams' death in the 1840s, Picquet obtained her freedom. She remained in the Williams household until Williams' brother informed her that he was selling the house. She then moved in with her friend, a Black woman named Helen Hopkins. She began to sell some of Williams' furniture, which allowed her to raise enough money to move with her children to Cincinnati, Ohio.

In October 1860, Mr. Horton agreed to sell Picquet's mother for $900 (~$ in ) and Picquet was able to buy her mother out of slavery. Picquet arrived in New York City in May 1860 and met Mattison, who became her amanuensis. In total, Picquet's narrative describes the abuse that six enslaved women endured--five of whom were light-skinned, and all of whom were domestic workers While the experiences of these women vary, Picquet suggests that each of them was involved in a coercive and violent relationship with their respective master.

When she was a young teenager, Picquet's second master attempted to rape her, but he was intercepted by the white boarding house owner. However, he continued to sexually harass Picquet and often whipped her when she did not submit to his sexual advances.

Picquet's third master kept her as his concubine and she gave birth to four of his kids. She informed Mattison that "very body knew I was housekeeper, but he never let on that he was the father of my children." Picquet does not describe her relationship with the children.

Religion As a clergyman and a prominent antislavery agitator, Mattison objected to the church's support of slavery. Throughout the narrative, he stresses the contradictory nature of Christian slaveholders and calls upon the American Christian to "use all his influence, socially, ecclesiastically, and politically, to undermine and destroy [slavery.]"

In her responses to Mattison, Picquet explains how Mr. Williams refused to allow her to attend church while she was enslaved. Upon his death, she attended a church service for the first time in six years. Picquet became a member of the Zion Baptist Church in Cincinnati and was baptized in 1852.

Colorism Because Picquet had only 1/8th African ancestry, she had a very light complexion and others regularly questioned her Blackness. Upon meeting Picquet, Mattison struggled to believe she was a former slave because she appeared to be white, and even employed his cousin to confirm Picquet's identity by wiring her bank in Cincinnati.

In her narrative, Picquet refers to several other white passing enslaved persons she encountered. Mattison repeatedly asks Picquet if the other enslaved persons are as white as Picquet herself, drawing attention to the irony of racialized slavery.