Historical imagery of Pennsylvania
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Imaging William Penn and the Indians

Over the years, images of William Penn's encounter and negotiations with the Lenni Lenape shifted and coalesced into the popular image we see on the top of Philadelphia's City Hall and on any box of Quaker Oats. The first three images reference the1772 painting by Benjamin West,  "Penn's Treaty with the Indians," which is in the collection of the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

william penn treaty LOGO"William Penn's Treaty with the Indians, When he Founded the Province of Pennsy&, 1681." 
A reproduction of the famous 18th century painting by Benjamin West.
william penn west litho LOGO"William Penn's Treaty with the Indians, When he Founded the Province of Pennsy&, 1681."
A 19th century lithograph based on the famous work by Benjamin West.
penn currier pring LOGO"This Justly Celebrated Treaty."
This 19th century engraving by Currier and Ives modifies the famous West image.
william penn landing LOGO

"Landing of William Penn," Chromolithograph by P.S. Duval, n.d. Penn's encounter is reimagined, with Native Americans portrayed at the margins of the image frame.

william penn indian family LOGO"William Penn." 
William Penn portrayed with an Indian family. This engraving from a 19th century periodical embodies Victorian sentiment and portrays Native Americans as childlike savages treated kindly by paternalistic Penn.
william penn image LOGOWilliam Penn, as imagined in the early 20th century. Note how the image gestures toward the treaty moment, but with Penn dominating the foreground and Native Americans barely visible in the background.