1757 Engraving of Florida Natives – Indigenous Clothing & Village Scene
€ 140
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1757
Sheet size
25 × 18.2 cm (9.8 × 7.2 in)
Reference
BG-14038-80
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Well-preserved with strong plate impressions and fine details. Light toning and minimal edge wear, consistent with age.
About this sheet
Habits et Maisons des Floridiens, a copperplate engraving of 1757 from the Histoire Générale des Voyages (Tome XIV). The title is engraved in a banner above the image, and a pencil note in the margin reads "Florida".
A man and a woman in loose garments stand close together in the foreground, with a small child at their side, beneath a leaning palm. Behind them stand tile-roofed houses of European type with an open-fronted shed, a small tower, and a village street where figures sit in the shade. Smoke rises on the right and more buildings fill the background. The image is enclosed in a double rule frame typical of the series.
The plate shows how European compilers of the mid eighteenth century pictured the Native peoples of Florida, assembling clothing and houses from earlier travel accounts rather than from direct observation. The fine hatching handles the palm fronds and the cloudy sky particularly well.
