Landfall of Jean Nicolet, Green Bay, WI, 1634
- Subject
- Native American Life
- Card type
- Lithograph
About this postcard
The scene shows Jean Nicolet coming ashore near Green Bay in 1634. A robed European figure at the center holds a cross and a flag, while Native American figures, some seated and standing, gather on the shore beside a large birchbark canoe. The composition treats the landing as a solemn first contact. Nicolet was sent west by Champlain to ease tensions between the Ottawa and Winnebago, restore the fur trade, and look for a route to the Orient. The caption presents him as the first white man to set foot in what is now Wisconsin, a claim that became central to the state's origin story. Edward Willard Deming, a painter known for Native American subjects, gives the encounter a ceremonial air.
Postcard Details
No address detected
Postcard record
| Publisher | Arthur Jaffé Heliochrome Co. |
|---|---|
| Condition | Very good |
| Place mentioned | Green Bay, WI |
| Publisher | Arthur Jaffé Heliochrome Co., New York, NY |
| Notes | White border around image; heliochrome print on textured stock; artist signature (E. W. Deming) in lower right. No postmark. Undivided back carrying only printed matter—the caption, the Arthur Jaffé Heliochrome Co. imprint, and the T. B. Walker Collection credit with copyright by The State Historical Society of Wisconsin; no address block and no handwritten message. Pencil dealer mark "#59" lower right. |
Cite this card
Landfall of Jean Nicolet, Green Bay, WI, 1634, postcard, n.d.. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/landfall-of-jean-nicolet-green-bay-wi-1634. Accessed November 2, 2026.