Magzhan Tegissov ’26 takes us on a journey through Alfred Jacob Miller’s Caravan en Route (William Drummond Stewart’s Caravan) and how it connects to his Kazakh and Middle Eastern identities.
Alfred Jacob Miller’s Caravan en Route (William Drummond Stewart’s Caravan) in the quiet halls of the Colby College Museum of Art. This nineteenth-century oil painting of a caravan traveling through the American West transported me to somewhere far less frontiersome. It painted images of my native land, the Great Steppe of Kazakhstan, and the stories of Silk Road tourists and subjected nomads during the Soviet era. Miller’s representation, though, based on the history of America, is positioned in a territory as big and full of its own historical stories as Central Asia and the Middle East. At some point, art breaks free from time zones and homeland boundaries.
Echoes of the Silk Road
The caravan in Miller’s scene headed west from St. Louis and composed of White Settlers, instantly conjured images of the ancient Silk Road winding through the heart of Kazakhstan. Like the adventurers and settlers of Miller’s painting, Kazakh nomads played an important role in connecting continents and cultures through trade. Caravans, on the plains of the American West or the steppes of Central Asia, represented not just a link between two marks on a map, but a bridge connecting peoples and cultures. Those who have been moved, like the Celts and my heritage would be connected to such transportation around the globe via hearsay.
Shadows of Collectivization
Yet the characters in Caravan en Route were also reminded of one of the more tragic chapters in Kazakh history—i.e. the Soviet collectivization of the 1930s. The phenomenon of forced sedentism on nomadic peoples, to turn an ancient way of life into a systematic agricultural regimen, led to starvation and great suffering. As I looked at the scenes in Miller’s caravan, it was not trappers and Native Americans that came to my mind but Kazakh families losing their cows or sheep, being displaced from their pastures into restricted zones as had happened during the Soviet days. In this light, the painting embodies the scars and strength of all displaced peoples.
The Bedouin Connection
What further enriched this cross-cultural journey was my continuing reflection upon my Middle Eastern heritage. The Bedouins were, like those in Miller’s composition, nomads who traversed sprawling deserts and so much more—cultural intermediaries across the region that we now know as the Middle East. Stewart’s portrayal, leading a white horse at the head of an unstoppable caravan, vividly evoked the archetype of Bedouin wayfarers, spreading Islam and trade across the barren wastelands. These echoes of images across disparate cultures and centuries serve as a reminder of the universal human experience of travel, commerce, communications, and struggle.
Art as a Universal Mirror
Alfred Jacob Miller’s Caravan en Route is more than a depiction of a historical expedition; it is a portal through which one’s personal and collective histories can be viewed. Although it is an American narrative, this painting within the context of migration/immigration communicates a common story that all people know. Arab culture finds its home in nomadic peoples who live on regardless. While it reflected not just my Kazakh identity but also my Middle Eastern roots, I was struck with how art can connect seemingly unrelated worlds. This generous level of signification invites viewers to see their own stories within the frames; it also demonstrates that this is art. It should not have its bounds limited by geography or time.
Ultimately, Miller’s art not only preserves an American historical moment but also encourages the viewer to draw on his or her own personal experiences and cultural background. The location of Caravan en Route is not limited to the American West—we journey into the steppes of Kazakhstan and across deserts in the Middle East, uniting distant realms through artistic expression.
—Magzhan Tegissov
About the author
My name is Magzhan Tegissov, and I am an international student from Kazakhstan. My Arab ancestry, rooted in those who spread Islam across Central Asia, deeply influences my identity, though my parents’ Soviet-era upbringing has also shaped my understanding of history, particularly Kazakhstan’s collectivization and famine in the 1930s. Growing up in a country that once bridged Europe and China during the Silk Road era, I am fascinated by the historical flow of goods and ideas—an interest that aligns with my studies as an economics major and my internship experience in supply chain. My time as a Welcome Desk Attendant at the Colby College Museum of Art further enriched my appreciation of art, inspiring the reflections I’ve shared in this article.