The Town of Pomeiooc - Theodor de Bry

A detailed 1590 copperplate engraving by Theodor de Bry, depicting the Secotan village of Pomeiooc based on the observations of John White.

This copperplate engraving by Theodor de Bry depicts the Secotan village of Pomeiooc, located in present-day North Carolina. The work appeared in the 1590 publication 'America', a collection of accounts regarding European exploration of the New World. De Bry based this image on the original watercolour sketches produced by John White, an English artist and explorer who visited the region in 1585.

The composition presents a bird-eye view of the settlement, which is enclosed by a circular palisade of sharpened wooden posts. Within the perimeter, several arched dwellings are arranged around a central open space. A fire burns in the middle of the village, surrounded by figures engaged in communal activity. The engraving includes specific annotations, such as the letters A, B, and C, which correspond to descriptive keys in the original publication. These markers identify specific structures and features of the site, reflecting the European desire to document and categorise the geography and customs of indigenous populations during the late sixteenth century.

The technical execution demonstrates the precision characteristic of de Bry's workshop. The use of fine, controlled lines creates a sense of order and clarity, typical of cartographic and ethnographic illustrations of the period. The surrounding environment, including the forest and nearby water source, is rendered with a similar attention to detail. While the image provides a visual record of the Secotan people, it also carries the stylistic conventions of European printmaking, which often imposed a structured, grid-like perspective upon the subject matter. This print remains a primary source for understanding the historical interaction between European observers and the indigenous cultures of the Atlantic coast of North America.