A comparison of the painting with a contemporaneous photograph (fig. 2) makes it clear that the artist depicted himself accurately. Yet, in keeping with the ideas of phrenology and physiognomy, in his self-portrait he stressed certain aspects of his appearance, further imbuing his image with subtle signs that indicated his talent, refinement, and acumen. For example, he highlighted his forehead: a high forehead was said to “betoken an inquiring mind, high ideals, conscientiousness and religious inclinations.” Likewise, medium-sized, slanted eyes such as his were believed to indicate keen insight and self-esteem, qualities that the artist further conveyed through his frank and direct gaze. Motley also emphasized his nose by highlighting the bridge and painting the nostrils in shadow. Physiognomic treatises defined such a nose as aquiline and associated it with a refined and aristocratic nature. Finally, the artist’s elongated, tapered fingers also seem to conform to these conventions, communicating an elevated social status and artistic sensibility. 19

Stereotypes shaped by such pseudosciences seem to have influenced Motley’s understanding of the problematic issues of racial and economic classifications in American culture. The artist must have been aware that his light-skinned complexion, together with his educational background and family connections, secured him a privileged position in African American society. 20 Indeed, skin tone, as Greenhouse has pointed out, “became a central motif in his art,” first in a series of depictions of women of varying mixed ancestry and later in his studies of city life. 21 The intersection of race and class in Motley’s world complicated his goal of “trying to fill,” as he put it, “what they call the full gamut, or the race as a whole, not only, you know, being terribly black but those that were very light and those that were in between.” 22 Despite his stated intentions, the artist’s use here of the word “terribly” reveals a problematic bias.

Motley titled his portraits of racially mixed women with the Creole classifications “Mulatto,” “Quadroon,” and “Octoroon.” Distinguishing the amount of African or African American blood in his models (half, quarter, and eighth, respectively), these designations at one time determined social status and legal rights as well. 23 The necessity for such distinctions arose during slavery, as the sexual relationships forced on female slaves by their white masters resulted in children of mixed heritage who were granted material and social privileges and, in some cases, freedom. Thus, the amount of “white” or “black blood” was a factor in determining opportunities available to African Americans struggling with segregation and Jim Crow laws. 24 The Creole classifications evolved into the “one-drop rule”––still evoked in modern times––according to which any person with one drop of African American blood is defined as black. Given that Motley’s understanding of race was shaped by this history, as well as by pseudosciences, it is not surprising that he considered these portraits “not only an artistic venture, but also a scientific problem.” 25 This helps explain his decision to structure his portraits according to the Creole terms for various racial mixtures, a system that enabled him to classify the physical and psychological characteristics which reveal a sitter’s social status.