Man, probably of the AmaXhosa, wearing a leopard skin and holding a spear Possibly 1777 - 1786

Robert Jacob Gordon produced this watercolor drawing of a man, probably of the AmaXhosa, wearing a leopard skin and holding a spear. Though undated, it was most likely made sometime in the late 18th century. This image comes to us out of the context of the early colonial period in South Africa. The social hierarchy of that time was rigidly structured along racial lines. Indigenous people, like the one depicted here, were often marginalized and subjected to discriminatory practices by the European settlers. Gordon's image is interesting insofar as it seems to present an ethnographic record of this person's dress and accoutrements. At the same time, the image is titled with the word "Caffer," which in the early modern period was used as a derogatory term for the Xhosa people. Understanding this image better requires that we look at the complex and often fraught relationship between art, science, and colonialism. In my own research, I have found travel journals, colonial administrative records, and missionary accounts to be essential in reconstructing the nuances of this period.