Description de la Peche, Habillemens, Habitations, Manieres de Vivre, Superstitions et Autres Usages des Indiens de la Virginie

This beautiful copperplate-engraved print of indigenous people in America was published around 1730. Though issued within the first several decades of the 18th century, the imagery and information contained therein are based on the influential 16th-century observations of Theodore de Bry. Each panel contains a scene depicting various elements from the lives of Native Americans (despite their curious Caucasian look), with accompanying explanatory text immediately below. Hunting and fishing practices, funerary rituals, cooking methods (including a brief recipe), canoe construction, ceremonial dances, farming techniques, and more are explored in extensive detail, highlighted with vibrant hand color. Taken as a whole, the sheet provides a fascinating glimpse into the vibrant world of early America prior to European encroachment. The sheet was originally published as part of Henri Abraham Chatelain’s important Atlas Historique. This monumental seven-volume set was first issued in Amsterdam between 1705 and 1720. The scholarly work offers a nuanced synthesis of geography, cosmography, history, religion, ethnology, and political science that provides fascinating contemporary details through the inclusion of descriptive text, maps, charts, diagrams, and illustrations.