Original engraving of Native American wall drawings and body markings, including a visual record of a warrior's status, family, and military exploits.

• It was engraved and printed by Gavit & Duthie and published in Volume One of The Documentary History of the State of New York, Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan, Albany, 1849.



• It measures 32.4 x 33 cm [12¾ in." x 13 in.] and includes a variety of markings.



• At the center, the diagram labeled "a" illustrates the tattoos or "punctures", typically displayed on the chest.



• The symbols at the left represent the warrior's clan or tribe. The ones shown are Deer, Potato, Great Plover, Little Plover, and Eagle.



• These labels are in English and French, reflecting the original source of the information displayed—a 1666 French document attributed to Father François, a Recollet priest, in Relation de ce qui s'est passé en la Nouvelle-France, és années 1665 & 1666.



• Also shown is a war canoe, with eight paddles; a man returning from hunting, with a gun on his shoulder and a bundle on his back; and three stick figures labeled with the letter "y" and drawn with their feet in the air, showing they are dead—two men and one woman, distinguished only by the waistcloth that she has.



• A passage in English at the upper right reads:"The Portrait of a Savage on a board in their cabin, on which they ordinarily paint how often he has been to war [and] how many men he has taken and killed."



• References in the original text and in the book by O'Callaghan identify the warrior as a Seneca, a prominent Indigenous nation within the Iroquois Confederacy.



• Condition:  This engraving is blank on the back, with no printing on the reverse side, and folds to approximately 7½ in. x 5 in. There's faint wrinkling on one of the folds, and there's a repaired tear at the left edge, reaching into the line of stick figures. Overall in very good condition, sound and clean. Please see the scans and feel free to ask any questions.



• Engraver John E. Gavit was one of the founders of the American Bank Note Company, which became was the world’s foremost engraver and printer of bank notes and securities. The firm of John Gavit and William Duthie produced high-quality engravings and works of art in the Albany region during the mid-1800s.



• This is an original, authentic antique print, not a reproduction or modern reprint, and it is fully guaranteed to be genuine.



• We are always happy to combine shipping on the purchase of multiple items — just make sure to pay for everything at one time, not individually.