Painter in a Savage Land: The Strange Saga of the First European Artist in North America

This is a book that I thought no one would ever have the knowledge, language skills or sheer perseverance to write. As such, I am amazed that Miles Harvey, not only took this project on, but has completed it in such a masterful manner. Having grown up in Jacksonville, Florida I was aware of Charles Bennett's obsession with documenting attempts by the French and Spanish in the 1560's to colonize and claim Florida. He knew that both countries had expended considerable time, effort and riches to try and establish a foothold in northeast Florida, all to gain access to and protect the Gulf Stream shipping lanes and expand westward to claim the gold, silver and other riches believed to exist in these unknown lands. Bennett, a World War II hero who served more than 40-years in Congress, wrote a number of books on the clashes between France and Spain in Florida (most notably, "Settlement of Florida"), and, - almost single-handedly, using his own personal funds and congressional influence - helped to establish the Fort Caroline National Historic Memorial. There are many reasons as to why the French-Spanish conflict in Florida has been neglected and Miles Harvey is a brave scholar to pick-up where Bennett and only a few other historians have dared to tread. First and foremost is the problem that historians have typically exhibited difficulty overcoming the "winner writes the history" context of British and Puritan, Quaker and Calvinist influence on writers of Florida/American history. Second, there is the enormous complexity of this era because the primary sources exist in four languages (English, French, Dutch and Spanish) and are found only in obscure libraries and archives in Europe - if they still exist at all. (So many of such documents were destroyed in fires, shipwrecks or sold and lost over time.) Third, to understand the depth of the hatred between Pedro Menendez and Jean Ribault, one must fully understand the politics that drove the religious wars within countries and between nations during the sixteenth-century. It is a tremendously challenging and complex era to understand; a period some historians have devoted their whole career toward studying, and writing and understanding. And, finally, in these uncertain economic times, just gaining the interest of a publisher willing to support a book project on such an obscure topic with a print run and PR/distribution sufficient to be worth the time that the author would have to invest would be an accomplishment in itself. Thankfully - with "Painter in a Savage Land" - Miles Harvey has been brilliantly successful on all counts. In my study of Florida history I've been haunted by accounts of Pedro Menendez's capture and murder of Jean Ribault and his shipwrecked French sailors and soldiers. How he brought them over what is now Matanzas Inlet (just south of Saint Augustine), tied their hands behind them, and then - after asking each if they were Catholic or willing to renounce their Protestant fai

The story of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues is finally told, and in gripping fashion. Hired as illustrator and cartographer for the Ribault/Laudonniere expedition to Florida in 1564, Le Moyne endured unbearable privations to make the first watercolors of the New World's flora, fauna, and native inhabitants. When the Spanish under Menéndez slaughtered the French colonists, Le Moyne was one of a few who escaped and made their way back to France. He spent his final years in London as a botanical artist. PAINTER IN A SAVAGE LAND is thoroughly researched and generously illustrated. Miles Harvey tells Le Moyne's fascinating story vividly and engagingly. Anyone interested in early illustrations of the American continent (in fact the earliest of all) or the history of European colonization will appreciate Harvey's contribution to the fields. Anyone interested in reading a gripping tale will have trouble putting this book down.

Miles Harvey had his work cut out for him. While scholars recognized the importance of Jacques Le Moyne's art from a historical perspective, the artists himself has remained lost to posterity. In "Painter in a Savage Land", Harvey sheds light on this neglected figure and guides him through the failed French colonies in South Carolina and Florida in the 1560s with side trips through the French religious conflicts, the Timucuans and other native peoples in Florida, Walter Raleigh's England, the career of a charmingly obsessed history buff who served in Congress, and the failed Roanoke colony. It is a remarkable work, offering a readable narrative and excellent analysis. While good on Le Moyne, it must also be noted that "Painter in a Savage Land" is even better on the fate of Ft. Caroline colony. It is a dramatic tale and Harvey is able to flesh out the problems that the Huguenot colonists faced and even highlighting some of the leading personalities. This work ranks as the most accessible introduction to Ft. Caroline and even offers some interesting ideas (for example, my opinion of Jean Ribault's effective leadership changed dramatically after reading this work). This is an excellent book that shows how biography can offer insight into art and religious, cultural and political history.

PAINTER IN A SAVAGE LAND; THE STRANGE SAGA OF THE FIRST EUROPEAN ARTIST IN NORTH AMERICA is a top pick for any art history collection: it offers a well-researched yet lively survey of one Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, the first European artist to travel around the U.S. capturing its wonders I pencil and paint. In 1564 he and three hundred other French Protestants landed off the coast of Florida - he was one of the few to live the experience, returning home to create dozens of illustrations of America's Native Americans. A powerful, highly recommended art history, this also deserves a place in any collection strong in early American history. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Miles Harvey once again provides an example of excellent storytelling; not only does he give life to an important but relatively unknown period in our collective history, but he excels at crafting a story that subtly ties the past to the present. I like his exhaustive research, and how he can stick to the facts while exploring possibilities and make relevant the lives of people who previously felt so distant. His treatment of indigenous Terra Floridians speaks to his ability to examine people and places from more than one perspective. He knows how to engage a reader!