Thomas Harriot, A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia (1590)

This plate depicts what de Bry labels as a weroan, or a great Lorde, of Virginia. The titling departs from John White's own description of the image's contents, meaning instead to depict the manner of indigenous dress and body painting for the hunt. De Bry's publishing house was notorious for modifications to both text and image in the interest of enhancing alterity of native Americans for their international audience; depicting the weroan leader as a man clad only in beads and a skirt fashioned of animal skins was one such change.

Here, Harriot described how Indigenous Virginians carved canoes from whole tree trunks by controlled burning and simultaneous carving of the burned wood. "That which they thinke is sufficientlye burned they quenche and scrape away with shells, and makinge a new fyre they burne yt agayne, ... untill the boate haue sufficeint bothowmes." (Harriot 75) Note how John White's painting depicts this process, as well as depicts the men working semi-nude. Overall, Harriot describes a complex and developed process of boatbuilding, yet hypocritically describes the people as "savage" in the last sentence of the caption.

In Harriot's caption, he describes the fishing techniques of Indigenous Virginians. Note again the nudity of the figures, and White's attempt to translate their Indigenous knowledge into visual information. White manages to include a variety of different Algonquian fishing techniques into one image; weirs, wading harpooning, and harpooning from boats. Harriot marvels at their techniques and the efficiency of their catch, commenting on them "heaping up riches" and their ingenious methods, yet labels them savage for them being "deprived of the true knowledge of god" for they do not thank the Christian god for their bounties of fish.

In this engraving, we see Algonquians broiling fish over an open flame. In the accompanying caption, Harriot describes the building of the stand, and how they would only cook that which was necessary for immediate consumption, and would not dry fish for storage; when fresh fish was needed, they would go out and harvest more instead of catching and cooking an excess to save. Again, White includes a large amount of information in a small image, raising the question; how is Algonquian knowledge interpreted through a European gaze and artistic depiction? What information do these images fail to provide?

In this engraving, we see Algonquians broiling fish over an open flame. In the accompanying caption, Harriot describes the building of the stand, and how they would only cook that which was necessary for immediate consumption, and would not dry fish for storage; when fresh fish was needed, they would go out and harvest more instead of catching and cooking an excess to save. Again, White includes a large amount of information in a small image, raising the question; how is Algonquian knowledge interpreted through a European gaze and artistic depiction? What information do these images fail to provide?

Here, Harriot begins by describing the indigenous earthenware, claiming it as on par or better than skilled European potter's works. Harriot commends their "moderate" eating, claiming that by following their example Europeans could avoid many sicknesses and diseases caused by gluttony. Observe the nude figures, as well as the information White chooses to include; fish and maize in the pot, a man bellowing the fire with a fan, the scale of the pot, and the woman holding a mixing spoon.