Is it just me or does the figure in this 1798 painting depicting an American native have dark brown skin?  Not only that, but the native has a turban on and, for the most part, looks the same as the depictions from this artist of the indigenous Africans.

Date 1798 "An Emblem of America" Published 1st. Feb.y 1801, by Haines & Son

Why does the American Indian look so similar to the indigenous African in appearance?



It seems that most all depictions of Native Americans pre-1850 showed people with dark brown skin.  That's not all, they also tend to have curly hair, broad noses, and thick lips.  In other words they looked like the so-called "African American".

"An Emblem of America" - 1798 - a Mezzotint by British engraver John Fairburn

Natives all over the Americas from North, Central, on down to South America have traditionally been described by early European explorers as Moors or negroes.  The artwork of the time also depicted them as such.







I'll just leave the rest of this out there for you to decide.




















































Sources:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3338907&partId=1&people=14502&peoA=14502-2-70&page=1
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/john-fairburn-publisher-an-emblem-of-america-5672841-details.aspx

http://realhistoryww.com/world_history/ancient/Misc/Americas/Black_Indians.htm