Soldaat uit Léré voor een etalage 1845

Auguste Bry created this lithograph, “Soldaat uit Léré voor een etalage,” meaning “Soldier from Léré in front of a shop window,” sometime in the mid-19th century. It encapsulates the cultural moment in which France was expanding its colonial presence in West Africa. The image presents a soldier from Léré, in present-day Mali, gazing into a Parisian shop window. The window displays fashionable items, including sheet music for "La Polka" and an image of a soldier, possibly referencing the French military. This contrast speaks volumes about the unequal power dynamics inherent in colonialism. The soldier, presumably brought to France, is confronted with the commodities and cultural products of the colonizing nation. This work invites us to consider the power of visual representation in shaping perceptions of colonized peoples. Bry's lithograph is a valuable resource to look at the broader social and institutional context of French colonialism and its impact on both colonizer and colonized.