Pocahontas (c. 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia and her travels to England. She was the daughter of the chief Powhatan, the great chief of a network of tributary tribes in the Tsenacommacah, encompassing the Tidewater region of Virginia. The representation I’ve worked from here is a painted copy of an original engraving - the only portrait made of Pocahontas during her lifetime. Working from the engraving probably would have been more accurate, but generally I need a painting to work from. The portrait was made by an English artist, hence why she looks so Anglicized. It’s possible that her clothing might have been hiding tattoos or that some could have been “photoshopped” off her face by the engraver Simon de Passe to better show her as a “civilized” woman fit for English sensibilities.
More about Pocohontas: We don’t have that many details of her life, but it was certainly not what the Disney film was showing us! She never had a love affair with John Smith and she didn’t save his life during his capture. Pocahontas was captured by hostile colonists in 1613 and encouraged to convert to Christianity - her christian name became “Rebecca”. She married John Rolfe, and they traveled to London together, attempting to show that she was a “Civilized Savage” in hopes of getting more support and supplies to the Jamestown settlement. Unfortunately Pocahontas died on the return voyage of an unknown illness at the young age of 21 or 22.
Just a few posts ago, I showed a bit of work on this one and I have a tutorial on the Curves tool using this image as an example for those who would choose to support!
Left Portrait: Public Domain, Right Portrait base: iStock Photo.
