Guadeloupean women at Ellis Island
Dublin Core
Title
Guadeloupean women at Ellis Island
Subject
Canada admitted a total of 300 French Antillean women between 1911 and 1931 to work as domestics in Quebec. The families hiring these women were primarily weathy businessmen, journalists, and elected statesmen. According to a letter from Jane Doe begging the Immigration Department to break its exclusion rules, "I simply must get one of these French Negresses because my sister got one and she swears that they are the best at mopping floors. The fact that they are devout Christian girls also means that I won't fear that they will steal from us the way that Finnish girls do."
Description
Guadeloupean immigrant woman headed to Montreal as a domestic worker, 1911
Creator
Ellis Island Museum, New York
Source
www.billyjoejimbob.com
Date
11 April 1911
Files
Citation
Ellis Island Museum, New York, “Guadeloupean women at Ellis Island,” Black Canadian History Exhibit, accessed December 5, 2025, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/mathieu-black-canadian-history-exhibit/items/show/2.