Fashion photographer Leonardo V tells a story through a series of pictures, a blend of 18th-century styles and contemporary aesthetics of the Victorian era with his “Viktorian” concept exhibition. Through this inspired display of admiration, he pays homage to the late Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
Born into a West African Yoruba dynasty, Aina – later baptised as Sarah during the slave trade – played a pivotal role in contemporary debates about race, slavery and the empire in Victorian society. Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s paradoxical identity can be seen in Leonardo V’s picturesque photoshoot, which is a modern representation of the legendary protégé’s life story.
During the Victorian era, women generally worked in the private, domestic sphere, and the mode adorned by the models in Leonardo’s photoshoot represents the era’s typical societal norms. Fashion model Sara Jatto poses in a cream-white muslin dress from Milan-based retro thrift store Vintage L’incanto.
Image Credits (Left) | Image Credits (Right) |
Model: Sara (@sayrajatto) | Model: Lajla Serafim (@lajla.serafim) |
Designers: Maryling (@marylingmilano) | Designers: Luisa Beccaria (@luisabeccaria) |
Press Office (@guitarpressoffice) | Vintage (@vintagelincanto) |
Vintage (@vintagelincanto) | |
Sara pairs the dress with blue loafers from Zara, which boast white diamond detailing. The simplicity and laid-back nature of her outfit reflect the sedentary lifestyle of women in the 1800s. Unlike earlier centuries, gender roles became more defined in the Victorian era, which led to women playing a more domesticated role and dressing for comfort.
Model Bintou Moupoupa’s white fitted bodice dress with a small waist and a full skirt is a classic Victorian wedding dress. The organdie dress can be likened to the one that was adorned by Sarah Forbes Bonetta at her lavish wedding in Sussex back in 1862.
Image Credits (Left) | Image Credits (Right) |
Model: Lajla Serafim (@lajla.serafim) | Model: Chorinne K Tshilombo (@chocorix) |
Designers: La Lory Costumi (@lalorycostumi) | Designers: Luisa Beccaria (@luisabeccaria) |
Vintage (@vintagelincanto) | Vintage (@vintagelincanto) |
Tutankamen Gioielleria (@gioielleria_tutankamen) | |
Bintou complements the dress with parchment-white beads, a symbol of status in Yoruba culture. This merges Sarah’s Yoruba heritage with her celebrity status in Victorian society, corresponding with the photoshoot’s overarching theme of paying attention to aesthetics while reflecting on the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta.
Image Credits (Left) | Image Credits (Right) |
Model: Queen Enoguada (@queen_promiseg) | Model: Bintou Moupoupa (@_diabate_bintou) |
Designers: La Lory Costumi (@lalorycostumi) | Designer: Vintage (@vintagelincanto) |
Tutankamen Gioielleria (@gioielleria_tutankamen) |
The powder-pink corset from Vintage L’incanto adorned by Bintou Moupoupa is the nostalgic prime of Victorian fashion. Corsets were considered a staple in the 19th-century and are still a big part of modern-day fashion, particularly white weddings—further aligning with the photoshoot’s intergenerational theme. Bintou pairs the corset with a white gauze tulle, another item characteristic of Victorian fashion.
A sequence of images and models in long white tulle dresses – as we know that lace and pearls were the lady’s favourite – are shown with: a modern twist of silver and gold pearls, a chunky diamond neckpiece, dramatic fascinators of fur and multicoloured feathers, and a touch of lilac stone. Lace and frill depict delicate modern royalty.
“Viktorian” is an illustrated throwback of Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s contrasting life propelled by the slave trade, which resulted in her becoming the great Queen Victoria’s protégé—despite her being of African descent. The retrospective photoshoot combines her West African roots as well as her life and times in Sussex through fashion.
Image Credits (Left) | Image Credits (Right) |
Model: Efemena (@efemena_) | Model: Chorinne K Tshilombo (@chocorix) |
Designers: Luisa Beccaria (@luisabeccaria) | Designers: Kea Atelier (@kea.atelier) |
Vintage (@vintagelincanto) | Tutankamen Gioielleria (@gioielleria_tutankamen) |
Credits
Photo’s by: Leonardo V. @leovpage
Stylist by: Chiara Busetto @strawberry.on.me
Make-up by: Letizia Maestri @letiziamaestrimakeup
Hair stylist by: Susini Matteo @susini.matteo
Assistant make-up: Ginevra Papalia @ginevrapapalia.sfx
Assistant Hair stylist: Carla Risso @risso.c
Assistant photo: Dennis Bornheim
Designers: Vintage (@vintagelincanto)
Luisa Beccaria (@luisabeccaria)
Tutankamen Gioielleria (@gioielleria_tutankamen)
Kea Atelier (@kea.atelier)
Anna Rita N (@annaritan_official)
La Lory Costumi (@lalorycostumi)
Zara (@Zara)
Nolita (@nolita_official)
Press Office (@guitarpressoffice)
Thanks to: @theonemodelsmanagem – @sophie.models – @boommodels – @20modelmanagement – @nologowomen