Treaty Signing at Medicine Creek Lodge

In 1867 a treaty was signed between several Native American Nations and the United States government. This treaty signing took place a Medicine Creek Lodge off the Arkansas River. Jon Taylor was hired to make sketches of the treaty signing by Leslie's Illustrated Gazette. Howling Wolf was the son of the Cheyenne chief that witnessed the treaty signing. Both of these men were artists and both made sketches of what happened there. These men were from very different cultures and we can see clearly how this influenced their works. John Taylor was an educated white man that was hired to make the sketches, his work is what we would call sophisticated. you can clearly make out the clearing, as well as trees and faces. both white men and Native Americas are very detailed. you are looking at the scene from Taylor's perspective and feel as if you are there. Howling Wolf's work has the feeling of a child's crayon sketch, it is in a top down perspective and you can see the way the river bends and the tribes colors, but very few faces. you can draw a few conclusions from looking at these works side by side. Taylor saw what was important to his people, the treaty signing an the men involved. From Wolf's work you see the river where the signing took place and you see the tribes that were involved. the cultural differences between these two artists are loud and clear. What one man sees as important is not always what others see as important. that is what makes these two works so wonderful, you can compare the two cultures and artists side by side both showing the same event yet in very different ways.