The Baptism of Pocahontas
The Baptism of Pocahontas is a painting, which was completed in 1840 by John Chapman, and now hangs in the United States’ capitol, the Rotunda to be specific. It is a magnificently huge piece, and, due to its prevalent location and high-quality, is very well known throughout all of the United States. It is a painting of Pocahontas's baptism, which would have had to have happened for Pocahontas to ultimately marry John Rolfe. Pocahontas was the daughter of the Chief Paramount of the Powhatan, and therefore was a relatively influential woman. Yet, she left her ‘savage’ ways to become a Christian wife of Lord John Rolfe, she took the name of Rebecca Rolfe, abandoned the New World and went to the Old, where she was praised as a symbol of how the savage New World could be tamed. The painting itself is a bright scene, showing a variety of emotions, from the frustration of her Powhatan brethren down to the adoration of her soon-to-be husband John Rolfe. The priest who prepares to baptize her looks off, to the source of light, as if he is looking to God for a sign.
The painting, especially thanks to its prevalent location in the nation’s heartland shows that the American people inherently want to stomp out those who are unlike us. We adore Pocahontas for giving in, changing her name and abandoning her heritage. While some could say that she is a symbol of individualism for avoiding the pressure of her heritage, very few have seen the scene that way. She abandoned her very name, for a marriage which some theorize was in the hopes of a captive exchange. And, this whole scene is from the mythology of Jamestown, the Rome of Romulus in the national mythology of the United States. This adoration of the diplomatic marriage, as is seen by the light of God shining in upon this baptism, this outright symbol of the cleansing of the ‘sin’ that is the life of one who is true herself, and lives in the harmony of nature, is abhorrent to the very idea of the individual. And yet, Pocahontas’ story is very important to the American System, very idealized. She was perhaps the first person for the American culture to crush and shape into its perfect form, and yet, each generation teaches the tale and shows the painting to the next, proving that the destruction of individuality is the very nature of the American Experience. Long shall the first victim of American conformity be remembered.
This painting is inherently religious; as it shows the baptism, the induction, of a Native American into Christianity. Certainly, it is not only the animist religions of the tribal nations which America has sought to drive out; even reformers within the midst of America have fallen victim to America's desire for uniformity.
The painting, especially thanks to its prevalent location in the nation’s heartland shows that the American people inherently want to stomp out those who are unlike us. We adore Pocahontas for giving in, changing her name and abandoning her heritage. While some could say that she is a symbol of individualism for avoiding the pressure of her heritage, very few have seen the scene that way. She abandoned her very name, for a marriage which some theorize was in the hopes of a captive exchange. And, this whole scene is from the mythology of Jamestown, the Rome of Romulus in the national mythology of the United States. This adoration of the diplomatic marriage, as is seen by the light of God shining in upon this baptism, this outright symbol of the cleansing of the ‘sin’ that is the life of one who is true herself, and lives in the harmony of nature, is abhorrent to the very idea of the individual. And yet, Pocahontas’ story is very important to the American System, very idealized. She was perhaps the first person for the American culture to crush and shape into its perfect form, and yet, each generation teaches the tale and shows the painting to the next, proving that the destruction of individuality is the very nature of the American Experience. Long shall the first victim of American conformity be remembered.
This painting is inherently religious; as it shows the baptism, the induction, of a Native American into Christianity. Certainly, it is not only the animist religions of the tribal nations which America has sought to drive out; even reformers within the midst of America have fallen victim to America's desire for uniformity.