A Narrative, Ch. 1

"Sketching the Earliest Views of the New World" (text)

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/sketching-the-earliest-views-of-the-new-world-92306407/?all

"John White" (text)

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/White_John_d_1593

"Virtual Jamestown: Index of White Watercolors and De Bry Engravings" (pictures)

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/images/white_debry_html/jamestown.html

See additional web link at bottom of page.

American Art Project Assignment 1:

John White and his Native Americans Sketches

The failed Roanoke colony was the first attempt to establish a colony in the New World. John White made two trips to Roanoke, the second of which as its governor. His is especially remembered for his sketches and watercolors of the Native American population. They are important because they provide a visual into the physical landscape and physical appearance of the native population. His sketches were collected and published in book form in Theodor de Bry's and Thomas Hariot's, A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590). Much like the famed artists John Webber, William Hodges, and Sydney Parkinson on the voyages of James Cook who sketched the native cultures of the South Pacific, White's sketches are historically valuable for North American history.

Read through the two articles above. In 750-950 words, provide an overview of White's life and contributions to the Roanoke colony. Then skim through the sketches and watercolors by White. What do they tell us about Native American culture in his era? What can they tell us about the natives the Europeans encountered?