Osages: A Small Savage Tribe from North America, in the State of Missouri 1827

Louis Léopold Boilly made this print in 1827. It depicts three members of the Osage tribe and was made using a technique called lithography. Lithography allowed for a relatively quick reproduction of an image. The process involves drawing with a greasy crayon on a flat stone, treating it with chemicals, and then printing. This print, with its fine lines and subtle shading, captures the likenesses of the three individuals, while exoticizing the figures for a European audience. It’s interesting to note how lithography itself became a tool of colonialism, enabling the mass dissemination of images that reinforced power dynamics. The printing of images such as this contributed to a skewed perception of indigenous people and lands, facilitating dispossession. While it is easy to focus on the aesthetic qualities of this print, it’s essential to consider the labor involved in lithographic production and how the medium itself played a role in shaping perceptions and realities of the Osage people.