Their Manner of Carrying their Children - Theodor de Bry

A sixteenth-century engraving by Theodor de Bry depicting indigenous women from the Roanoke region, based on the original sketches by John White.

This engraving, titled 'Their Manner of Carrying their Children', is a plate from the 1590 publication 'America', a collection of travel accounts and illustrations documenting the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Theodor de Bry, a Flemish engraver and publisher, produced these images based on the watercolour sketches of John White, who accompanied the 1585 expedition to Roanoke. The print depicts two women from the Secotan people, demonstrating different methods of carrying infants. One woman carries a child on her back, while the other holds an infant in her arms.

The composition reflects the European artistic conventions of the late sixteenth century. While the figures are rendered with a degree of anatomical precision typical of the period, the poses and facial features are stylised to align with contemporary European aesthetic norms. The background provides a simplified view of the coastal environment, featuring small boats on the water and sparse vegetation, which serves to contextualise the subjects within their environment.

De Bry's work is a significant historical document, as it represents one of the earliest visual records of North American indigenous life available to European audiences. The engraving process allows for fine detail, particularly in the rendering of the fringed garments and the textures of the landscape. As a piece of historical printmaking, it offers a glimpse into the intersection of early colonial exploration and the European desire to categorise and record the cultures encountered during the Age of Discovery. The print remains a subject of study for historians interested in the transmission of information and the construction of cultural identity through visual media during the Renaissance.