Extracting a jigger, scene in the Brazils"; shows a black woman extracting a chigger from the foot of a white man in what appears to be some sort of tavern; note, pottery jug in left-hand corner. A tropical flea native to the Americas, the chigger (jigger, chigoe) was extremely troublesome to Europeans and Africans in many areas of the New World; invading the skin through the feet or toes, they laid their eggs and if the egg sacs were not removed (by a simple technique), they could ultimately cause a serious itching pain. The English painter, Earle, visited Rio de Janeiro in 1820.
