Drawing (Watercolor drawing)

Description

Early to mid-nineteenth century explorers, naturalists, and ethnographers made sense of the “New World” through creating visual representations of its unfamiliar animals, plants, and peoples. This highly stylizing image of an Indigenous woman — who is likely Innu, based on the clothing and hairstyle — is probably not a portrait of an individual, but rather a generic image meant to communicate ethnographic information about the Innu to Canadian settlers and European audiences. While this watercolor and a companion piece (2017.0007.002) rob their subjects of individuality, further research may allow us to tell a more complete story about the two people depicted in these paintings.