The King of the Mississippi
Abraham Allard (Dutch, ca. 1676–1725)
The King of the Mississippi
1720
Etching and engraving
Abraham Allard, known for his satirical images of France’s King Louis XIV, based his portrait of the fictional King of the Mississippi on the 1671 print of the Aztec ruler Muteczuma. Allard ridicules the French Crown and other Mississippi Company supporters for buying into the myth of Louisiana as a source of unimaginable riches that its Indigenous leaders were eager to share. In the background, three figures brandish pickaxes next to an inscription urging viewers to “Dream of gold mines,” while the King of the Mississippi holds out an arrow decorated with a winged heart and two French royal fleurs-de-lis. Likely alluding to the special kinship that French colonists claimed to have with Indigenous polities, the image mocks not only the failure of France’s colonial prospects in the region but also the exploitation and violence that these fantasies begat.
: The Mirriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries.
