This image depicts a young woman who is dressed in popular fashion associated with the 1890s. It is an intriguing image when considering the socio-political unrest in Puerto Rico at the time, along with the lack of access to fashion media.
The caption describes the woman as a "type", which was a popular phrase in during this time that described people of color as “pseudo-scientific specimens.” During a time of racial hate and segregation, the photographer singles out this example of beauty and labels it as rare and unnatural.
The original image appeared in the 1899, 2-volume history, Our Islands and Their People as Seen with Camera and Pencil.
A Colored Belle of Puerto Rico