The Indians giving a talk to Colonel Bouquet in a conference at a council fire, near his camp on the banks of Muskingum in North America in Oct. 1764 

This engraving, made by Benjamin West, shows a meeting between Colonel Bouquet and Native Americans in North America in October 1764. It's more than just a record of an event; it's a window into the power dynamics and cultural exchanges of the time. The image creates meaning through carefully constructed visual codes. The British officers, dressed in their formal attire, stand in a group, while the Native Americans are shown in a more diverse array of clothing and postures. This reflects the hierarchical social structures of the time, the European figures presented as orderly while the Native Americans are seen as a crowd. Made during a period of intense colonial expansion, this work also speaks to the institutional history of art. West, who gained fame painting historical subjects, often depicted scenes from faraway lands for a European audience. Understanding this image requires us to look at the archives, journals, and other historical records that shed light on the complex relationship between the colonizers and the colonized.