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Po-Ca-Hon-Tas

Lithographer J.T. Bowen and Co.

Author Thomas L. McKenney (American, 1785 - 1859)

Author James Hall (American, 1793 - 1865)

Draftsman Henry Dacre (English, c. 1820 - unknown)

Date1842

Mediumlithograph on paper, hand-colored

Dimensions20 1/4 × 14 5/8 inches (51.4 × 37.2 cm)
Mat: 22 × 16 inches (55.9 × 40.6 cm)

Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1978

Object number91.110.6

ClassificationsPrints

DescriptionThe publishers, Daniel Rice & James G. Clark were the fifth and final publishers of the McKenney-Hall Indian Tribes. Text pages included with purchases.
Portrait of Pocahontas (c. 1596-1617). Pocahontas was a Powhatan Indian. Sully is said to have copied a portrait of Pocahontas by an unknown artist that a descendent of Pocahontas acquired in England. The portrait that was copied is called the “Turkey Island” portrait, named for the Virginia residence of the descendant. That portrait is not extant.

Label TextMcKenney and Hall greatly wanted a portrait of Pocahontas for their book. They wrote that her story had “the stirring elements of romance.” By the nineteenth century, the real person had become a legend. Pocahontas was a Powhatan Indian. She lived c. 1596-1617. Stories about her created a stereotype. She became the “Indian princess” who aided the colonists. The legend continues today.

ProvenancePurchased November 2, 1978 through (W. Graham Arader, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania) by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

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