Native Grace: Prints Of The New World, 1590-1876

Adapted from the book of the same name, this beautiful overview of Native America: its flora, fauna, and peoples--before the European transfiguration--features a whole gallery's worth of lovely prints. The program showcases Richard de Bry's engravings, published in 1590 (the first prints of the new world); Mark Catesby's humorous conjunctions of plant and animal (a flamingo against a backdrop of coral for instance), a possible space-saving device; John James Audubon's legendary prints of the birds of North America; and Catlin and Bodmer's extraordinary prints of Indians and their vanished culture. Written and directed by Robert D. Ellis, this is an unusual program, and one that's highly recommended for school and public libraries. (See CANADA'S SWEETHEART for availability.)