This cartouche, found on an 18th century map of North America, is representative of European concept

This cartouche, found on an 18^th century map of North America, is representative of European conceptions of the New World. It displays Native people side-by-side with wildlife, evoking the feeling of an untamed continent and blurring the distinction between person and animal. The two Native Americans are depicted as an amalgamation of eastern aboriginals in their manner of dress. The animals depicted are similarly vague. The buffalo bears a strong resemblance to forms more familiar to Europeans, namely the humped species of Asia. Also depicted are a possum and ibis. Finally, the cartouche is topped with a depiction of a cornucopia pouring forth its contents. This is the essence of the European idea of the New World: endless riches. The pursuit of gold, furs, arable land, and religious converts drove centuries of bloody expansion that would decimate Native populations, reshape the land, and drive some native fauna to near extinction.

Image from: Homann, Johann Baptist. Amplissimae Regionis Mississipi seu Provinciae Ludovicianae. Norimbergae: Nova tabula edita â Io. Bapt. Homanno, 1720.

Call number: G3200 DRAWER 2 MAP 6

Catalog record: https://bit.ly/3H2wkMD