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Essay / John Taylor and Howling Wolf's visual depiction of...
In Taylor's image, it is difficult to differentiate between men and women, and between Native Americans and Pilgrims. Except for a few people outside who are depicted in incredible detail, most people blend together and blur like a crowd. For most of the characters, it is difficult to tell their faces apart. Taylor does this so that the narrative of the play focuses on the treaty rather than the individual people who were involved in signing the treaty. In Wolf's painting it is easy to distinguish the different tribes and the different sexes of the people. In fact, the majority of people in the photo are women. This shows that Native American culture values women in their society. It also separates different tribes by using different colored clothing. This allows the viewer to understand which tribe was directly involved in the treaty and which were just watching. Wolf makes it clear that the people actually involved in the treaty should be the focus.