Shoshone by Timothy O'Sullivan

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

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portrait

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toned paper

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light pencil work

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pencil sketch

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charcoal drawing

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possibly oil pastel

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charcoal art

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underpainting

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men

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watercolour bleed

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watercolour illustration

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watercolor

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.

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