Also known as: Sumptuary Laws, 1779 Sumptuary Law, Dress restrictions on gens de couleur
Last updated: April 23, 2026
In Saint-Domingue, sumptuary laws were clothing and display restrictions aimed especially at free people of color, used to make racial hierarchy visible in daily life and to prevent material success from turning into social equality.
Julien Raimond
1769 Militia Revolt
Les Cayes
Free Women Of Color
Clothing restrictions
Gens de couleur libres
Restrictions on free colored dress
Sumptuary Laws
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"Sumptuary Laws." Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/concepts/sumptuary-laws. Accessed 2026-05-05.