CULTURAL READINGS: Colonization & Print in the Americas

Jay I. Kislak Foundation

Simon Grynaeus and Johann Huttich, Novis orbis regionum ac insularum veteribus incognitarum. Basle: Johann Hervagius, 1532 [detail from map].

One tenuous iconographic tradition depicted American natives as cruel, bloodthirsty aggressors. Often, such images represented the Indians as cannibals. Scholars continue to debate whether or not any native groups actually consumed human flesh for purposes either of religious ritual or of revenge and conquest. But regardless of the truth of the matter, European artists and engravers depicted scenes of cannibalism occurring anywhere from the Caribbean to Canada.

Viewers and the Viewed

• [Return to] Early Impressions
• Black Legends
• The de Bry Engravings
• Native Cultures, Ancient Cultures

Exhibition Contents | Introduction | Essays | Bibliography & Links