MUNDURUCU
Indigenous Virginia was home to many communities, including those of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom. Older pictures labelled 'Virginia' also show neighbouring coastal peoples in present-day North Carolina.
Their portraits record body paint, ornaments, hairstyles and clothing. John White's sixteenth-century watercolours helped make these appearances familiar in Europe when Theodor de Bry adapted them into engravings.
Some pictures show extensive dark markings on the body. They can suggest how a design was arranged, but do not always reveal whether it was painted or tattooed. Faces and garments also changed when engravers reworked the original images.
Pocahontas's portrait in English court dress presents another kind of transformation. It shows how appearance could become part of diplomacy and public display. Alongside the coastal portraits, it reveals people seen under very different circumstances, wearing clothes that told different stories.