Cultural Readings - Viewers and the Viewed

CULTURAL READINGS: Colonization & Print in the Americas

Eye VIEWERS & THE VIEWED
The de Bry Engravings

Of all the early illustrations of the peoples of the New World, none were more famous or more widely copied than those produced by the engraver Theodor de Bry. Beginning in 1590, de Bry and his sons brought out a series of translations of accounts of the New World from Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Dutch sources.

What endures in the 13-part series are not the translations but the engravings, which were frequently copied and reproduced throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. These volumes appealed to a large reading public, presenting visual representations rare in the chronicles and travel literature. The volumes also contributed to Protestant printed propaganda: de Bry chose his sources with a view to scoring points against Catholic powers.

Virginia was the initial offering in the de Bry series, and Florida the second. De Bry also helped to publicize the Black Legend, printing an illustrated edition of Las Casas.

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	Of all the early illustrations of the peoples of the New World, none were more famous or more widely copied than those produced by the engraver Theodor de Bry. Beginning in 1590, de Bry and his sons brought out a series of translations of accounts of the New World from Spanish, French, English, Italian, and Dutch sources.
	What endures in the 13-part series are not the translations but the engravings, which were frequently copied and reproduced throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. These volumes appealed to a large reading public, presenting visual representations rare in the chronicles and travel literature. The volumes also contributed to Protestant printed propaganda: de Bry chose his sources with a view to scoring points against Catholic powers.
	Virginia was the initial offering in the de Bry series, and Florida the second. De Bry also helped to publicize the Black Legend, printing an illustrated edition of Las Casas.