{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O828113"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O828113/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JF8987/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2016JF8987/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2016JF8987","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O828113","accessionNumber":"E.988-1919","objectType":"Print","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"The Golden West exhibition of 1909 at Earl's Court in London contained 54 areas including Californian gardens and a mine; a bowling alley, rodeos, and a bicycle circus; subterranean river rides in a recreation of the South Dakota caverns, and a 40-ft wide model of San Francisco designed to show how the 1906 earthquake destroyed most of the city.  American foods and produce were also widely promoted alongside all manner of fairground rides, advancements in electrical goods, cameras, and the new cinematic arts.\r\nHowever, amongst all this seemingly innocuous and educational entertainment, there were also displays of indigenous people with the main attraction advertised as 'Life and Scenes in the Red Man Camp and Arena' with re-enactments of the Black Hawk Massacre three times a day.  \r\nAt the turn of the century colonial exhibitions had a resurgence of popularity in Britain, France and Italy especially.  Pushing the propaganda of the “civilizing mission”, they were part of the plan to justify colonial expansionism to the general public in Western Europe.  Identified as part of the second wave (1900-1914) of colonial exhibitions by ACHAC (a French decolonisation research group), the exhibition programme (which has been digitised for free access on www.archive.org) states:\r\n\r\n'The United States government has permitted several score Indian braves, squaws, and papooses (under strict guarantee and regulations) to leave their reservations for the purpose of presenting this striking picture of a dying phase of human life.'\n\n(“Squaw” is an ethnic and sexual slur historically used to denigrate Indigenous women in North America. “Brave” is a racial slur used to refer to young male Native Americans).\n\nBy 1900 the population decline in indigenous communities of the Americas was as high as 98% in some areas through ongoing wars, massacres at the hands of European settlers, and the influx of new diseases brought by colonisers over the centuries. In London this is all cheerfully presented as a 'thrilling episode of old frontier days' and goes on to paint the American government as a generous benefactor having spent almost 450 million dollars 'on wars and for education and necessary living expenses for the Indians'.  \r\nThe Big Chief in the Earl’s Court exhibition is named as ‘Mr Red Shirt’.  Chief Red Shirt (1847-1925), also known as Ogilasa, was an Oglala Lakota chief who promoted friendly associations with European settlers in America, splitting with some other Sioux people who wanted to continue fighting the loss of their lands. Believing their only hope for survival as they became increasingly outnumbered was to assimilate further with the new settlers, he was a peace delegate to Washington in the 1880s and later became an international celebrity working alongside Buffalo Bill's Wild West touring show, visiting England with them in 1887. On that visit he met many notable people including Prince Albert Edward (the future King Edward VII), the former Prime Minister William Gladstone, and Queen Victoria. Red Shirt expressed his pleasure in meeting the Queen.  It was later discovered she wrote about the encounter also in her diary entry of Wednesday 11th May 1887. \r\nMany postcards of the Earl’s Court event depict Chief Red Shirt or a Sioux warrior in the group called Painted Horse in a similar design to this small pictorial advertisement.  They were widely sold, published by Gale &amp; Polden Ltd, who also produced the 1909 printed programme.\r\n\r\n","physicalDescription":"Colour lithograph pictorial advertisement issued by Thomas Cook to visit the Golden West Exhibition at Earl's Court in London depicting an illustration of an indigenous man of the Americas, wearing a war bonnet or headdress with a decorative tomahawk axe in hand.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"Colour lithograph","id":"x35545"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Colour lithograph","categories":[{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Advertising","id":"THES49001"},{"text":"Ephemera","id":"THES252985"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2016JF8987"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLC (VA)","id":"THES49171"},"free":"","case":"GG","shelf":"40","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"print","id":""}],[{"text":"drawing","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"circa 1909","earliest":"1904-01-01","latest":"1913-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"Various sizes.","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Pictorial advertisement for the Golden West and American (USA) Industries Exhibition, held at Earl's Court in London, 1909.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<u>Victoria & Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illlustration and Design & Department of Paintings, Accessions 1919</u>, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1921."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[{"text":"","id":""}],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[{"text":"Native American","id":"AUTH322104"}],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"exhibitions","id":"AAT260349"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["E.988-1919"],"accessionNumberNum":"988","accessionNumberPrefix":"E","accessionYear":1919,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-07","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}