Hello Everyone, <br><br>This a third-hand question that was on the Latin American History listserv.  I&#39;m hoping someone here might have some good answers.<br><br>Thanks,<br>Gretchen<br><br>Hi,<br>
<br>
I&#39;m a Victorianist English graduate student  and I am very interested 
in Latin America and the Caribbean during the 19th century in addition 
to Europe.  I&#39;m working on 
a project and I&#39;m hoping that someone on the list could help me locate 
some texts.  Any help would be wonderful.<br>
<br>
Last semester, I did some work with 19th century European novels that 
have a racially ambiguous, prominent female who smokes or handles 
tobacco (or both).  I&#39;m interested in the ways in which race (and 
perhaps especially ambiguous race) is somehow linked to tobacco, and 
also the way race and tobacco are linked to the commodification of 
these women. (In addition, these women are usually &quot;transgressive&quot; 
women who 
often die at the end of the novel).<br>
<br>
Now, I&#39;m trying to do a similar study, but of representations of 
smoking women in *Latin America*  and/or the Caribbean.   I&#39;ve been 
gearing my search 
towards Cuba, but really any nation of origin would work.  I&#39;m not 
having much luck.<br>
<br>
Any suggestions for texts to look at would be greatly appreciated. I&#39;m 
looking for any of the following:<br>
<br>
- Latin American novels (from Cuba or somewhere else) from the 19th 
century with a significant female character who smokes or handles 
tobacco.<br>
-a 19th century Latin American artist (or several) who portrays women 
and tobacco,<br>
- cigar/tobacco art with women<br>
-any thing else you could suggest.<br>
-if you could suggest any novels with women who are deeply associated 
with rum or some other means of smoking (marijuana, opium), that might 
work, too.  I&#39;m looking in particular for tobacco but any references 
to women who are deeply associated with another &quot;masculine&quot; commodity 
might work.<br>
<br>
Because my study has thus far dealt with racially ambiguous women, I&#39;m 
particularly interested in finding representations of mulata or 
mestiza women, but I&#39;ll take anything you can think of.<br>
<br>
Anything help/direction you could provide would be *greatly* appreciated.<br>
<br>
Thanks so much for your time.<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Jackie<br>
<br>