Pocahontas

Pocahontas (1595-1617), an Algonquian Indian remembered for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia; in English dress.... more

by National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/science Photo Library

Title

Pocahontas

Artist

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution/science Photo Library

Medium

Photograph

Description

Pocahontas (1595-1617), an Algonquian Indian remembered for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia; in English dress. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She is said to have saved the life of an Indian captive, Englishman John Smith, in 1607 by placing her head upon his own when her father raised his war club to execute him. Pocahontas was captured by the English during Anglo-Indian hostilities in 1613, and held for ransom. During her captivity, she converted to Christianity and took the name Rebecca. She married tobacco planter John Rolfe, and, in January 1615, bore him a son, Thomas Rolfe. In 1616, the Rolfes travelled to London. Pocahontas was presented to English society as an example of the civilized savage. In 1617, the Rolfes set sail for home, but Pocahontas died at Gravesend of unknown causes. Painting made after 1616 by an unidentified artist of a copy after Simon van de Passe.

Uploaded

May 29th, 2023