View of Fort Snelling c. 1850

Edward K. Thomas painted "View of Fort Snelling" in the mid-19th century. The painting presents a landscape deeply imbued with the complexities of westward expansion and its impact on Native American life. The painting attempts to capture the simultaneous presence of the fort and the indigenous people; tipis stand in the foreground while a procession winds its way along the lower right. The inclusion of these elements invites us to consider the relationships between the colonizers and the colonized. The painting’s depiction is not neutral; we can understand the artist’s role in shaping perceptions and narratives around settlement and indigenous displacement. Here, land becomes a symbol of contested space and cultural identity. The fort is portrayed as stable and permanent, but the native people and their dwellings look temporary. The artist asks us to consider whose perspective is privileged and whose stories are being told. The painting serves as a reminder of the complexities and contradictions inherent in the history of the American West.