CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the powerful paramount chief of the Algonquin Indians in eastern Virginia. She was about eleven years old when the English colonists arrived at Jamestown in 1607. Although she had been named Matoaka, she has been best known for four centuries by her nickname Pocahontas. Captain John Smith later credited her as saving his life after he had been captured and taken to Powhatan's home at Werowocomoco, located in what is now Gloucester County. She became a trusted visitor to the fort at Jamestown, delivering messages and food. She was known for her high spirits and was described as turning cartwheels around the fort with English boys.
During the first Anglo-Powhatan War, English colonists kidnapped Pocahontas in April 1613 and held her in captivity for a year. She met John Rolfe, a planter, and agreed to marry him and convert to Christianity. At that time she adopted the English name Rebecca. Their wedding on April 5, 1614, resulted in an interim of general peace in the colony. When the deputy governor sailed for England in 1616 to raise funds for the Virginia Company, Pocahontas went with him along with her husband and infant son and others. While in London she attended balls, plays, and other social events, and was presented to the king. Her family planned to return to Virginia in March 1617, but Pocahontas died before their ship left and was buried on March 21, 1617, in St. George's Church, Gravesend, England. During the 19th century, the story of Pocahontas and how she saved John Smith became legendary in the history of Virginia's founding, while obscuring the life of a courageous young woman who strove to help her people through her actions.
This oil painting was done by artist William L. Sheppard in 1891. He stated that he copied an original painting of Pocahontas that was then hanging in the rectory of Booton Parish, in Norfolk, England. It reportedly dated to 1616, but the identity of the original artist and when the original artwork was painted remain unknown. The Virginia State Library purchased this portrait from the artist during the 1890s.
Citation: Pocahontas, ca. 1595-1617, oil on canvas portrait by William Ludwell Sheppard, copied from an earlier original, State Art Collection, Library of Virginia.
Standards
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Look at It: Look at the image of Pocahontas. What style of clothing is she wearing? Why might she be depicted in this way? What does her dress tell you about her status?
Post Activities
Be the Journalist: You are a journalist preparing to interview Pocahontas in London. What are the three most important questions you would ask? Why are they important?