Wolof Girl in Saint-louis 1889

Edouard Riou made this lithograph of a Wolof Girl in Saint-Louis sometime in the mid-19th century. It speaks to the complex social and cultural dynamics of the time, particularly the relationships between colonizers and colonized populations. The image presents a young woman from the Wolof ethnic group in Saint-Louis, Senegal, a significant French colonial settlement. The artist may have intended to capture her exoticism, but we can also view it as a document of cultural interaction and exchange. The girl's traditional clothing and jewelry contrast with the European artistic style, highlighting the tensions between the colonizer's gaze and the subject's identity. To truly understand this artwork, historical sources such as colonial records, ethnographic studies, and accounts from the Wolof people themselves would be invaluable. These resources can shed light on the power dynamics at play and help us interpret the image within its specific social and institutional context.