Sketch made on Indian Reservation c. 1890

Walter Shirlaw created this sketch on an Indian Reservation using graphite on paper. Here, the figures wrapped in blankets offer a powerful visual. These cloaked figures echo images of draped figures found across cultures and centuries. Think of the ancient Roman senators in their togas, or even the veiled Madonnas in Renaissance paintings. The drapery conceals and reveals. In this sketch, it speaks to a kind of cultural entrenchment but also perhaps vulnerability. Are they shielding themselves from the harsh environment, or from the gaze of the outsider? The blanket becomes a symbol of identity, of cultural continuity, but also of a certain imposed invisibility. The very act of wrapping oneself can be seen as a protective gesture, laden with complex emotional and psychological weight. Observe how the draped figure recurs throughout art history, perpetually shifting and adapting, carrying echoes of past meanings into new contexts.