This portrait of Josette Vieau Juneau represents the earliest era in the "Portrait of Milwaukee Progress" installation, having lived the first half of her life before the existence of photography. I could only find a couple images of her, one an etched image and another a painting. Both images look so much like each other – exact same pose and expression and outfit – it seems obvious one image was inspired by the other. I decided to take a leap with my depiction of Josette and to interpret her as a younger woman than shown in the source material. In the background behind Josette is an old city planning map showing the streets of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee River, to the right is the house that she lived in with her husband and children, and in the midground is a depiction of Menominee tribal members from the same time period.

I chose to include Josette Vieau Juneau in this series of works because she represents an integral bridge between the indigenous peoples living in the Milwaukee area during its infancy and the white settlers who set out to make a life here for themselves and their families. She was fearless, hardworking and fondly remembered by those who knew her. I also chose her because while her husband's name is well known to Milwaukeeans, and his image is available in photos, portraits and sculptures throughout Milwaukee, neither Josette's face or her story are so familiar. I wanted to keep her story alive as a significant contributor to Milwaukee's history, being female, a person of indigenous heritage, and a peacemaker in her time.