Sketch made on Indian Reservation c. 1890

Editor: Here we have Walter Shirlaw’s "Sketch made on Indian Reservation," created around 1890. It's a delicate graphite drawing. I'm struck by how ephemeral it feels – like a fleeting moment captured in pencil. What catches your eye? Curator: The quiet simplicity, definitely. It's like a whispered secret from a vanished world. Look at the way Shirlaw uses line – so economical, yet he manages to evoke so much. I imagine him, squinting in the harsh sunlight, quickly sketching to catch the essence of what he saw. Editor: It makes me think about the artist’s perspective – a non-Native artist sketching Indigenous people and their land. Does that complicate how we should view the piece, or the context in which it was drawn? Curator: Absolutely, it’s impossible to ignore the power dynamics at play. Shirlaw was an outsider looking in. We need to acknowledge that historical context – the complicated history of representation, the romanticization, even appropriation, that often coloured portrayals of Native Americans at the time. But at the same time, is there a sincerity to this attempt to capture these horsemen in their landscape? I do wonder. Does that affect your feelings toward the piece? Editor: I suppose. I mean it certainly provides historical insight on how these things were perceived then and allows comparison. I guess I was just struck at first by the light pencil work, but yes that context changes the piece slightly. Curator: Indeed, context changes everything. The beauty of the sketch invites us in, and then the history reminds us to look critically. Editor: So true. A simple sketch that sparks such complicated thoughts. Thank you!