Matoaka, better known as Pocahontas, was born into the Powhatan confederacy, a network of Algonquian-speaking cultures in coastal Virginia led by her father, Powhatan. Following the establishment of the Jamestown settlement by John Smith and other Virginia Company representatives, Pocahontas played a pivotal role in fostering peaceful relations between the English and her people. In 1613, however, she was kidnapped by an English sea captain and held for ransom in exchange for corn, weapons, and prisoners.
During her captivity, Pocahontas converted to Christianity, adopting the name Rebecca, and later married tobacco farmer John Rolfe. The couple's son, Thomas, was born in 1615. Seeking to use Pocahontas’s apparent assimilation to promote the colony and attract investors, the Virginia Company brought her to England in June 1616. This portrait, inspired by an engraving from that era, portrays her as a wealthy Englishwoman, with inscriptions highlighting her noble heritage, Christian faith, and marriage (though mistakenly naming her husband as her son). Tragically, Pocahontas fell ill and died just nine months after arriving in England. Over the centuries, her short life has inspired countless tributes, legends, and the fictionalized romance with John Smith.
P.S. Read more about the true story of Pocahontas shown through her portraits.