Indian Princess and Roman Goddess: The First Female Symbols of America.

Examines the European invention of symbolic images to define the New World. The prevailing humanist tradition depicted lands as female, and artists depicted America as wholly or partially nude to differentiate her from Asia and Africa. As the New World became less threatening, amazons gave way to graceful young women, and then to an Indian princess, as the symbolic image. After independence, Americans turned to Liberty as the national goddess.