A couple of things to add: in the 18th Century, clothing codes were enacted as part of the clampdown driven by the Stono Rebellion in 1739. Even though fabric and colour was codified, enslaved Africans found ways of personalising their clothing (especially in South Carolina).
"Favoured" slaves, whether house slaves or artisan slaves, were sometimes given gifts of their owners' cast off clothing.
VERY interesting article!
A couple of things to add: in the 18th Century, clothing codes were enacted as part of the clampdown driven by the Stono Rebellion in 1739. Even though fabric and colour was codified, enslaved Africans found ways of personalising their clothing (especially in South Carolina).
"Favoured" slaves, whether house slaves or artisan slaves, were sometimes given gifts of their owners' cast off clothing.
Free Blacks also flouted the clothing laws.