Wooden Indian (Female) 1935 - 1942

This watercolor painting by Marius Hansen depicts a female wooden sculpture of an Indigenous person. Hansen was born in 1855 when the American West was undergoing rapid transformation, with the forced displacement and cultural assimilation of Native populations becoming government policy. These figures, often placed outside tobacco shops, were commercial symbols that both perpetuated and capitalized on stereotypical representations of Indigenous peoples. While seemingly benign, these figures obscure the complex history of Indigenous-settler relations, reducing diverse cultures to a single, marketable image. Notice the figure's static pose. How does it feel to be frozen in representation, denied agency and individuality? Hansen’s work encourages us to reflect on the emotional and cultural costs of these historical depictions, and to consider how stereotypes can mask the true experiences and identities of marginalized groups.