Centennial reminiscences [caricature of vignette scenes from 1876 Phila. Centennial expo., including Indian carrying" (scalping scene) "bits of frontier life..." (handful of scalps) and "playthings of ... the poor Indian" (knives and tomahawks)]" – Vintage Print
![Centennial reminiscences [caricature of vignette scenes from 1876 Phila. Centennial expo., including Indian carrying" (scalping scene) "bits of frontier life..." (handful of scalps) and "playthings of ... the poor Indian" (knives and tomahawks)]", 1877 — antique engraving](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/5d/5db4598467fe-L.webp)
(Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
A window into the past: Centennial reminiscences [caricature of vignette scenes from 1876 Phila. Centennial expo., including Indian carrying" (scalping scene) "bits of frontier life..." (handful of scalps) and "playthings of ... the poor Indian" (knives and tomahawks)]", preserved in this antique engraving. It comes from the Snapshots of the Past collection, curated over 25 years for its historical value.
Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
Centennial reminiscences [caricature of vignette scenes from 1876 Phila. Centennial expo., including Indian carrying" (scalping scene) "bits of frontier life..." (handful of scalps) and "playthings of ... the poor Indian" (knives and tomahawks)]"
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Rather than reporting on the Centennial Exhibition, this wood engraving mocks it. Its small vignettes show a figure carrying a scalp, a handful of scalps, and knives and tomahawks presented as "playthings" of the "poor Indian," with the caption ridiculing the fair's treatment of Native peoples. Harper's Weekly printed it on February 10, 1877, three months after the Philadelphia exhibition closed and a few months after news of the Little Bighorn fight had shocked the country. The drawing is worth noticing for how it turns popular entertainment's violent stereotypes back on the fair that displayed them.
| Created / published | 1877 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print : wood engraving. |
| Subjects | Illus. in: Harper's Weekly, v. 21, (1877 February 10), p. 112. Ref. copy in SSF(Gr) - Indians--Cartoons. Title and other information transcribed from caption card. Caption card tracings: Exhibitions--1876; Indians; Cartoons. |
| Original scan | 1,178 × 1,686 px · prints to 4 × 6 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-150929 |
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