About this artwork
Timothy O'Sullivan made this albumen silver print, titled "Shoshone," during a time of intense westward expansion in the United States. O'Sullivan worked for the U.S. government, documenting the Western landscape and its inhabitants, including Native American tribes. The photograph depicts a group of Shoshone people posed in front of what looks like a camp. Consider the power dynamics at play here: O'Sullivan, as a representative of the U.S. government, held significant authority in dictating how these individuals and their culture were represented. The Shoshone are seen through the lens of a dominant, colonizing culture. What does it mean to fix their image in a moment of such intense cultural disruption? What stories are silenced, and what narratives are amplified through this selective framing? This photograph is a potent reminder of the complexities inherent in documenting marginalized communities and the importance of critically examining the historical context in which such images are produced and consumed.
Shoshone 1867 - 1872
Artwork details
- Dimensions
- Image: 22.9 x 29 cm (9 x 11 7/16 in.)
- Location
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
- Copyright
- Public Domain
Tags
portrait
toned paper
light pencil work
pencil sketch
charcoal drawing
possibly oil pastel
charcoal art
underpainting
men
watercolour bleed
watercolour illustration
watercolor
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About this artwork
Timothy O'Sullivan made this albumen silver print, titled "Shoshone," during a time of intense westward expansion in the United States. O'Sullivan worked for the U.S. government, documenting the Western landscape and its inhabitants, including Native American tribes. The photograph depicts a group of Shoshone people posed in front of what looks like a camp. Consider the power dynamics at play here: O'Sullivan, as a representative of the U.S. government, held significant authority in dictating how these individuals and their culture were represented. The Shoshone are seen through the lens of a dominant, colonizing culture. What does it mean to fix their image in a moment of such intense cultural disruption? What stories are silenced, and what narratives are amplified through this selective framing? This photograph is a potent reminder of the complexities inherent in documenting marginalized communities and the importance of critically examining the historical context in which such images are produced and consumed.
Comments
No comments