The Habits of the Natives of Virginia 
Theodor and Johann de Bry
German/Flemish, early 17th century — Frame: 8⅛ x 10⅞ inches; sight: 4½ x 7¼ inches
 
A finely engraved plate depicting three figures representing the inhabitants of coastal Virginia, derived from the celebrated illustrations issued in A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia. Based on the firsthand observations and watercolor studies of John White and the accompanying account of Thomas Harriot, the composition presents a “chiefe lord,” a woman, and a religious figure within an idealized landscape. De Bry’s engravings constitute one of the earliest printed visual records of Indigenous life in North America, filtered through a European lens that lends the figures a composed, almost classical dignity.
 
Condition: Very fine; not examined out of the frame.