John White’s watercolours and De Bry’s engravings
Introduction:
The failed colony at Roanoke in 1585 was a disastrous mission yet it brought about some interesting observations on Indian life which would be useful again in the future. Nothing is more intriguing as a finding from this mission than the sets of watercolours on Indian life by John White and the resultant engravings made by De Bry which provide for a striking comparison. They also include much detail although that can appear to be also the imagination of both artists but on the whole the pictures are a valuable document of Indian life at a time when such things were completely ...