Depictions of Native People

Visual depictions of native people vary wildly from artist to artist and are often informed by the time in which the artist lives, their personal experiences, and their perceptions of Indians. The two images below depict native leaders from the 17^th century – Passaconaway of the Pennacook people (left) and a sachem from a Rhode Island tribe (right).

Look carefully at how the artists chose to portray each of these men. The portrait titled "Native American Sachem" (right) was painted in the 17^th century, during the sachem's lifetime, while the drawing of Passaconaway (left) was not made until 1916, nearly 230 years after his death. The painting of the sachem probably depicts more accurately what Passaconaway would have looked and dressed like. By 1916, there were very few Pennacook people living their traditional lifeways in Lowell. Most of them had either moved further north or assimilated into "American" ways of life, dress, and work. It is possible that Beals, the artist of the Passaconaway drawing, never met a native person and was probably influenced by images of native people from the western United States.