Tipi’s van de Panawahpskek (Penobscot) op de World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 1893

This photograph, taken by Charles Dudley Arnold in 1893, captures the Penobscot Tipi’s at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. At first glance, the eye is drawn to the conical shapes of the tipis, their wooden frames stark against the backdrop of a clear sky. The image is dominated by vertical lines, from the teepees themselves to the slender trees, creating a structured, almost geometric composition. However, this structured form belies the complexity of its content. The photograph presents a snapshot of indigenous life within the context of a world fair, a deliberate display that raises questions about representation and cultural appropriation. The stark contrast between the simple dwellings and the grand exposition suggests a tension between the ‘primitive’ and the ‘modern’. The framing of the Penobscot within this exhibition is not merely a benign act of documentation but a constructed narrative, where the visual order serves to reinforce a particular cultural hierarchy. The photograph, therefore, is not just an aesthetic arrangement of shapes and lines; it is a complex semiotic field where form and content intersect to convey ideas about culture, progress, and power.