Drawings by John White and Theodore De Bry Comparison

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
References

Introduction

John White was an English painter and traveler. For the first time, he traveled to America in 1585 as a member of Sir Walter Raleigh’s crew. White created many watercolor drawings of the aboriginals, local flora and fauna at Roanoke Island. His works became the first depiction of the American Indians made in color and these drawings are highly valuable. Later, Theodore De Bry made engravings of White’s watercolors, and after publishing his engravings gained popularity. Herewith De Bry changed the original drawings at his discretion. He changed not only the postures and the overall composition but also endowed the Indians with European facial features.

Main body

Comparing the drawing “Indians Fishing” by John White to De Bry’s engraving “Their manner of fishynge in Virginia” one can notice the obvious differences. The colors in White’s drawing are realistic, there are fewer objects depicted, and the Indians have their original faces on this picture. The overall situation depicted at the drawing is realistic as well. At black and white De Bry’s engraving there are more animals and people. Though the basic plot is kept at the engraving, the European faces of De Bry’s Indians make a big difference.

The abundance of the sea creatures at the engraving by Theodore De Bry can be an attempt to show the variety of the local fauna. While White depicts only different kinds of fish, De Bry also includes turtles, crabs, and eels. There are also more people and more boats depicted at the engraving than at White’s drawing. Additional characters create more effect; they make the picture look expanded. By adding this effect to the engraving De Bry attempted to make it more impressive and more speaking.

The difference in the people’s appearances can be explained by the De Bry’s political and world views, which were widespread in the English community of the 16th century. The interest to the New World was high at that time. The voyages to America and the attempts to establish new colonies drew a lot of attention, the publications of the New World’s researchers were extremely popular and they promoted the idea of the new territory colonization. Like many others, De Bry wanted the Europeans to colonize the American territory, and he also had a lack of his own travelling experience. Inspired by the works of the travelers and the researchers, nevertheless, he chose the more familiar face features to depict, probably because they seemed more conventional to him, and were easier to accept and comprehend.

White’s watercolor drawing “Cooking Fish” also drastically differs from the engraving “The brovvyllinge of their fishe ouer the flame” by De Bry. White’s picture is as simple as possible and as realistic as possible. It is evident that the painter tried to show and to keep the actual situation, still importing the artistic value to the drawing. De Bry is more into showiness. By putting two persons into the plot of the engraving, by adding action, the more smoke and the greater flames, he reaches the bigger dramatic effect.

In comparison to the De Bry’s engraving, the original drawing “Cooking Fish” looks simple, modest, and cozy. Along with realness it transmits the homeliness and depicts the Indians’ practical mode of life. On the contrary, at the engraving everything has a larger scale and it looks dramatized. It has pompousness, and the situation depicted at the De Bry’s work doesn’t create an impression of the regularity and simplicity as it is shown at the watercolors by White.

The biggest difference between the original drawings and the engravings based on these drawings is in the way of expressiveness. John White painted his watercolors from nature. His main purpose was to depict the aboriginals’ habitual way of everyday life. He didn’t try to embellish his drawings and kept it as simple as it was, practical, and realistic.

Theodor De Bry never travelled to the New World. His works were based on the experience of others, and his works weren’t that realistic. De Bry’s main purpose was to impress and to draw attention. By adding some imaginary details and by deviating from the White’s initial intention implied in the watercolors, he reaches the great artistic effect, which affected the English public and caused prominence for De Bry.

Conclusion

The works of the both artists have great value but this value is attained by different means. Since John White stack to the real situation, along with the notes made in the traveling to America, his watercolors now represent the materials for historians and ethnographers, who research the tribes of the Native Americans. The engravings by De Bry are executed in the style to which the English public of the 16th century was accustomed. His works were easy to comprehend, they had eloquence and were impressive, thus many people appreciated De Bry’s works, and thus they became more prominent than the originals by John White.

References

De Bry, Theodore. The brovvyllinge of their fishe ouer the flame. 1590. The John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. Virtual Jamestown. Web. 2015.

De Bry, Theodore. Their manner of fishynge in Virginia. 1590. The John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. Virtual Jamestown. Web. 2015.

White, John. Cooking Fish. 1585-1586. The British Museum, London. Virtual Jamestown. Web. 2015.

White, John. Indians Fishing. 1585-1586. The British Museum, London. Virtual Jamestown. Web. 2015.

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Drawings by John White and Theodore De Bry Comparison

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