Their Sitting at Meat 1590

Editor: This is Theodor de Bry's engraving, "Their Sitting at Meat." It's fascinating; the figures seem to be presented in a very formal way, almost staged. What can you tell me about how this image functions within its historical context? Curator: This print is part of a larger project designed to visually document the New World for a European audience. Notice the careful arrangement of food items: fish, corn. De Bry is less interested in accurately portraying Indigenous life and more concerned with shaping European perceptions of it. Editor: So, it's less a record and more a piece of propaganda? Curator: Exactly. How might the idealized, almost classical, physiques of the figures contribute to that propaganda? Editor: It suggests a sense of inherent nobility, perhaps to justify colonization. Curator: Precisely. It's crucial to remember the power dynamics at play in the creation and circulation of these images. Editor: I see; the image is less about the people depicted and more about the story Europe wanted to tell. Thanks, that really changes how I see it.