Mouth of the Fox River 6 - 1832

Karl Bodmer created this watercolor titled, *Mouth of the Fox River*, during his travels in the American West in the 1830s. Bodmer, a European artist, was commissioned to document the landscape and Native American cultures, just as the US government was enacting policies of removal and displacement. Bodmer's work, like much of the art from this period, becomes a complex site for understanding the intersection of art, identity, and power. While the scenes might appear to be objective records of the American frontier, they are also infused with the perspectives and agendas of their creators, as well as the historical context in which they were produced and received. Bodmer’s work invites us to reflect on the artist's role as a cultural mediator, and how the visual representations of this era both reflected and shaped societal attitudes towards westward expansion and Indigenous peoples. How can we ensure that historical representation of native cultures is accurate and not romanticized?