I presume since you have re-posted your photo on this board it is for restoration. so here is my attempt.
I was surprised to read on your other post that the word mulatto appears several times on the American census reports and this is why you have used this to describe your gt. grandmother. I was always brought up to understand this was a derogatory name for a person of mixed race as it originated from the slave trade when a child was born to a slave and its father was the white plantation owner.
Pat
The word mulatto like many words is only derogatory when ignorant people wish to use it in a derogatory way.
It is actually a Spanish/Portuguese word for mixed race, used before being associated with the slave trade.
In a similar way the Spanish word caste (casta) has been misappropriated and used as a slur.
We are in the 21st century and should be able to construe the true connotations a person is putting on the words they use by the context rather than the simple word.
To me mulatto is a beautiful word like the lady in the photo, which like her exudes exotic charm and quality.
Please do not drag language down to the lowest common denominator as if we do we will always live in the gutter.
Cheers
Guy
