DeSoto's Discovery of the Mississippi River 1896

Kurz and Allison created this chromolithograph print titled "DeSoto's Discovery of the Mississippi River." It's an imagined scene of the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto encountering the Mississippi River. Prints such as this were common in nineteenth-century America, meant to illustrate historical events for a wide audience. This image creates meaning through its visual codes of conquest and cultural references. The explorers, armed with weapons and a Christian cross, stand in stark contrast to the Native Americans, who are depicted as passive and welcoming. Made in the United States, this print reflects the 19th century American belief in manifest destiny, the idea that it was their right to expand across the continent. It overlooks the violence and exploitation that came with it, including the devastating impact on Native American populations. To truly understand this print, we must turn to historical research, examining not only the events it depicts but also the social and political context in which it was created.