Existing comment:
Cunne Shote, lifedates unknown
Cherokee leader Cunne Shote, determined to end hostilities with the British, traveled with two other chiefs to London in 1762. The British press described the Cherokee delegation as "well made men, near six feet high, well dressed in their own country habit . . . [with painted faces and] heads adorned with shells, feathers, ear-rings and other ornaments." Their exotic appearance and the political implications of their visit inspired the painted likeness on which this rare mezzotint is based. Imaginatively depicting Cunne Shote in his native land, the portrait testifies to the favorable outcome of the Cherokees' diplomatic efforts. The chief's prominent display of a silver gorget and medals from King George III proclaim Cherokee loyalty to the British Crown, an alliance that continued into the American Revolution.
by James McArdell, after Francis Parsons, c 1762 |