Fotoreproductie van This Gentelman is the Chief of All the Temples door Jean Baptiste Robie before 1883

This is Alexandre’s photographic reproduction of Jean Baptiste Robie’s artwork, titled "This Gentleman is the Chief of All the Temples," made sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Alexandre, who lived from 1855 to 1925, likely created this image during a time of increased colonial interactions and ethnographic documentation. The photograph, in its attempt to capture and classify, reflects the power dynamics inherent in cross-cultural representation. The sitter’s identity is vague; he's stripped of a name and is presented as a type rather than an individual. What does it mean to name someone “chief”? The image complicates our understanding of cultural representation, prompting us to consider the photographer's role in shaping our perception and perpetuating stereotypes. The photographic gaze turns the sitter into an object of study, reducing him to a symbol of his culture or position. Consider the emotional and psychological dimensions of being photographed in this way, as one’s identity becomes a spectacle for others.