Pocahontas
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.77.43.106
Tags
FanFeatherCollarHatEarringIllustrationPocahontas: FemaleNative American cultural intermediaryPortrait
About this artwork
Pocahontas (also known as Matoaka) grew up in coastal Virginia among a confederacy of Algonquian-speaking Powhatan people overseen by her father, the paramount chief. After John Smith and other representatives of the Virginia Company of London established a settlement at Jamestown, she sometimes served as an intermediary. In 1613, however, the colonists kidnapped and ransomed her for corn, guns, and prisoners. While in captivity, Pocahontas was converted to Christianity, took the baptismal name ...