Paramaribo, Suriname, has an extensive community of Jews of Color, largely attributed to the intersection of the Jewish community and people of African ancestry during the slave trade. One Jew that made an impact within the Surinamese community was professional photographer Augusta Cornelia Paulina Curiel. Not much has been recorded about Curiel’s background, but it is known that she was of Jewish, African, and Dutch ancestry. She was born in Paramaribo in 1873 to a single mother and had one sibling, a sister named Anna.

Photography was seen as an intriguing work opportunity for Jews, as it didn’t require any previous study and allowed one to participate in the craft without needing permission from higher-ups in the community. Curiel ultimately became one of the first and most influential Jewish photographers in Paramaribo and ran a photography studio with her sister from 1904 to 1937. Curiel primarily photographed other Surinamese citizens, such as in the picture above, but she also took pictures of day-to-day life in Paramaribo. Curiel’s work was so impressive that she was eventually honored with the title of hofleverancier by Queen Wilhelmina in 1929. She even became Suriname’s first photographer for the royal house!

As you can see from the photograph pictured above, Curiel’s work allowed others to have a glimpse into the rich cultural diversity present in Paramaribo. Curiel was not an anomaly by being a Jew of Color who was active within the greater Surinamese community. Suriname has long been a hotspot for Jewish diversity, and Augusta Curiel is only one example of the artistic and academic excellence that Jews of Color provided in Paramaribo.

Works Cited:

“Analyzing Photographs.” Jews Across the Americas 1492 – Present, 2021, jewsacrossamericas.com/interactivities-5/image-analysis/beginning-image-analysis/analyzing-photographs/.

“Augusta Curiel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 June 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Curiel.