As a slave child, Jeffrey Deroine probably couldn't have imagined that one day he would visit Europe as a free man and rub elbows with some of the world's most powerful people. He was there as an interpreter for his friends the Ioway (most notably, Chief White Cloud) while they toured the continent with the painter George Catlin.
This illustration is for the book on Jeffrey Deroine, published by Truman State University Press.
Final art
1st version - can you spot the differences?
Rough sketch
This was my favorite Notable Missourian book to illustrate out of the 2015 series. Jeffrey Deroine was a fascinating guy. Born a slave, Jeffrey had a natural gift for language. As a teen he was owned by a fur trapper who used Jeffrey's communication skills to negotiate trades with native peoples such as the Ioway tribe. Starting with simple exchanges such as these, Jeffrey and the Ioway would form a strong friendship. A friendship that would ultimately help Jeffrey to become a free man, travel the world, and own property - very rare things for a former slave during the early 19th century.
This illustration is for the Notable Missourian book on Jeffrey Deroine, published by Truman State University Press.
Young Jeffrey Deroine interpreting for his fur-trapper master.