Lemoyne de Morgues (1562-1565)

La Roncière, Charles de (1870-1941). La Floride française: scènes de la vie indienne, peintes en 1564. Paris: Éditions nationales, 1928.

In the sixteenth century Spanish and Portuguese explorers usually took artists on board with them to paint or draw maps according to specifications provided by the navigator and captain of the ship. But in 1564, Jacques Lemoyne de Morgues of France began a new tradition when he used the talents of a painter to record the natural riches and populations of North America. In fact, that year, Lemoyne de Morgues was hired to accompany the expedition led by Laudonnière not only to draw a map of the Florida coast, but also to paint anything worth observing.

In 1565, after having miraculously survived the massacre of Fort Caroline in Florida, Lemoyne de Morgues settled in London, married, and worked for, among others, Sir Walter Raleigh.

After coming to England, Lemoyne de Morgues produced such an exact and detailed map of the Florida coast that it served as a model to other European cartographers for over a century. Moreover, he drew more than 40 scenes describing the habits of the Natives, as well as some of the events to which he was a witness during his stay in Florida. Published in the form of engravings by Théodore de Bry in 1591, Lemoyne's drawings constitute one of the most attractive representations of this part of North America during the initial phase of its discovery.

He died in London in 1587 or 1588.