"Gobernadorcillo" watercolor from Vistas de las Yslas Filipinas y trages de sus habitantes (Scenes from the Philippine Islands and Costumes of their Inhabitants)
These watercolor paintings from the 1847 Vistas de las Yslas Filipinas y trages de sus habitantes (Scenes from the Philippine Islands and Costumes of their Inhabitants) by the Filipino painter José Honorato Lozano give us an idea of how these people might have looked like. The watercolor on the left depicts a native gobernadorcillo, (literally, “little governor”), or municipal judge, sitting at a desk. The man wears a high-collared white and red striped shirt with gold buttons, and a gold necklace. He has a white overcoat and grey pants, and he holds a gold cane. On top of the desk is resting a black top hat, a few quills and an inkpot, and two sheets of paper with writing on them. To his side, there is an open window overlooking a few trees, and hanging on the wall behind the man is a portrait of Queen Isabella II, who reigned over Spain at the time when the watercolor painting was produced.
