Nez Perce-Sold 

Thomas Blackshear’s portrait, “Nez Perce-Sold,” offers a contemporary view of an indigenous leader. It invites us to consider the complex relationship between representation, identity, and historical narrative. Made in the United States, the portrait shows a man adorned with traditional regalia. The artist invites us to recognize the individual, while also prompting reflection on the historical context of the Nez Perce people, whose ancestral lands span present-day Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Montana. The title itself, “Nez Perce-Sold,” could be seen as a commentary on the historical dispossession and cultural impact of colonization on Native American communities. To fully appreciate Blackshear's portrait, one might consult historical archives, ethnographic studies, and the oral histories of the Nez Perce. In doing so, we come to understand the art and its meaning as contingent on social and institutional contexts.