Poppen van verschillende soorten Indiërs uit de verzameling van Emil Riebeck, op de binnenplaats van het Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlijn 1884

Hermann Rückwardt captured this photograph of Emil Riebeck's collection of Indian figure models at the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin. The dolls, likely crafted from wood and textiles, represent diverse Indian figures and scenes, offering insight into the culture as understood at the time. These miniature figures, meticulously crafted, embody a tension between ethnographic documentation and colonial imagination, inviting questions about labor, representation, and cultural exchange. The act of crafting these models involves a physical engagement with materials, each stitch and carving imbued with layers of cultural significance. Consider the labor involved in producing these figures, and the hands that shaped them; each figure serves as a potent reminder of the intricate web of relationships between maker, material, and meaning, challenging traditional boundaries between art, craft, and cultural representation.