In Simpson’s Twenty Questions (A Sampler) (1986), the viewer encounters four gelatin silver prints with four identical black and white photographs of a faceless figure. Six engraved silver plaques surround the images, each containing an option to the question of describing the figure. This work focuses on the harsh society of what was the reality for African American woman in the past. With regards to this, Simpson gives rise to the issue of slavery created by the contrast of the dark skin of the model against the white cloth which is used as a symbol of what African American slaves were forced to wear before 1865. During this time, the identity of the slaves was abolished and thus Simpson portrays the subject’s back, linking to the idea of
