Of all the paintings I have seen of
European settlers moving west, this painting from 1853 by William Henry Powell
is the most prominent. It is titled The
Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto and shows,
like so many other pieces of art based on this period, the European settlers
moving further west and the submission from Native American people. The reason
why this painting has so much resonance in particular, is the fact that is the
first discovery by European settlers of one of America’s biggest landmarks and
most important resources; the discovery of the Mississippi River will go on to
represent a major conquest for settlers, which fits in with the idea of
‘Manifest Destiny.’ Should the European settlers have the resources to exploit
the river, it will inevitably move them further west and make their frontier
inevitable.
The painting shows Hernando de Soto, a Spanish
conquistador, leading his troops to the river in spite of the Native American
settlement that has already set up camp there. The Spanish outnumber the
Natives greatly, and everything about their appearance suggests a modern,
burgeoning settlement that is on the move. Their clothes suggest military and
many of the men on horseback hold swords and spears and are dressed in helmets;
in the bottom right corner, a canon is being dragged towards the coastline.
Clearly they are willing to overpower the Natives by force if necessary. The
Natives, by contrast are sparsely clothed, huddled together and look
frightened: their whole appearance signifying submission and the idea that they
are being cornered the further Europeans push them to the west.
As if to mark their territory on this
settlement, the Europeans are erecting a crucifix in the bottom right corner
with a monk says a prayer next to it. This shows the importance of religion in
these settlements, both as a means of trying to convert the Native people and
to stamp their authority on this new territory. In the background, the lightest
part of the picture shows the Mississippi River stretching on endlessly,
representing a further ambition for the Europeans to continue their journey
westwards and continue prospering.
Altogether, this definitely backs up the idea of
‘Manifest Destiny;’ there are clear signs represented here of European power and
authority over the Native Americans who surrender in their presence. Meanwhile
the conquest of another great American resource only fuels extra desire to the
objective of continuing west and expanding the United States.
http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/historic-rotunda-paintings/discovery-mississippi-by-de-soto
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/desoto/dsintro.html
