Thanksgiving and Pilgrim Paintings and Artwork

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Print this Page

Sign up now for a free Galatians Bible Study

Robert Walter Weir (American Hudson River school painter,1803-1889), "The Embarkation of the Pilgrims from Delfthaven in Holland" (1844), US Capitol Rotunda, Oil on canvas, 12' x 18'. Larger image.

William Formsby Halsall (1841-1919)

• Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor (1882), by  Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Henry Sargent (1770-1845)

• The Landing of the Pilgrims (1818-1823), 13'x16', oil on canvas, Pilgrim Hall.

Edward Percy Moran (American artist, 1862-1935)

• Pilgrim's Landing (early 1900s), oil on canvas, 23" x 29".
• The Signing of the Compact in the Cabin of the Mayflower, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Mass.

1920 Pilgrim Tecentenary Issue. 1cent stamp The Mayflower. 2 cent stamp Landing of the Pilgrims, 5 cent stamp, Signing of the Compact. US Postal Service.

"The First Thanksgiving" (1915), by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (American painter, 1863-1930). Larger image.

Detail from "The First Thanksgiving" (1914), by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1850-1936),  oil on canvas, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Full painting.

Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1850-1936), "The First Thanksgiving" (1914), oil on canvas, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Detail.

Henry A. Bacon (1839-1912), The Landing of the Pilgrims (1877), oil on canvas, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Mass.

Jean Louis Gerome Ferris (American painter and illustrator of Americana, 1863-1930)

• "The First Thanksgiving" (1915)
• "The Mayflower Compact" (1925). Larger image.
• "The Return of Miles Standish" (1920)
• "The Return of the Mayflower" (1907)
• "The First Sermon Ashore" (1921)

Charles Lucy (1814-1873)

• Departure of the Pilgrims from Delft Haven (c. 1847) by painted in England
• Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers (Restrike Etching), 68 x 89cm. Painting: National Heritage Museum - Lexington, Massachusetts, 87.5" by 63".

Robert Walter Weir (American Hudson River school painter,1803-1889)

• The Embarkation of the Pilgrims from Delfthaven in Holland (1844), US Capitol Rotunda, Oil on canvas, 12' x 18', commissioned 1837, placed 1844.
• Indian Captives, Massachusetts, 50 x 38 in, Delaware Art Museum.

Bernard Finegan Gribble (1872-1962), British marine artist and illustrator

• Mayflower
• (The Return of the Mayflower (1919) is not a pilgrim picture, but one of ships returning following WW1)

Gilbert Tucker Margeson (American painter, 1852-1940)

• The Mayflower at Sea

Other artists

• Landing of the Pilgrims antique postcard
• Pilgrim women cooking, unknown illustrator
• J. Andrews (engraving) after P.F. Rothermel, Landing of the Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, 1620.

Scale model of a 17th century English merchantman ship of about 400 tons, Dorset County Museum, Dorchester, Dorset. Larger image. Very large image. In contrast, the "Mayflower" is estimated at 180 tons, 90-110 feet long, width 25 feet, though actual details are unknown.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978, images licensed by Brown & Bigelow)

• Freedom from Want (mother serving platter with turkey at Thanksgiving, cover Saturday Evening Post March 6, 1943)
• Home for Thanksgiving (mother and soldier son peeling potatoes, cover, Saturday Evening Post, November 24, 1945)
• Saying Grace (1951, mother and son saying grace in restaurant with others looking on)
• Thanksgiving (cover of Life Magazine, November, 22 1923, pilgrim in stocks with sign, "Ye Glutton")
• A Pilgrim's Progress
• Thanksgiving (bespeckled woman holding a turkey on a platter)
• Thanksgiving Pie (cover, The Country Gentleman, November 1930)
• Thanksgiving Day Blues (cover, Saturday Evening Post, November 28, 1942)
• Refugee Thanksgiving (cover, Saturday Evening Post, November 27, 1943)

Joseph Christian ("J.C.") Leyendecker (1874-1951, American illustrator, images licensed by Curtis Publishing Company)

• Trading for a Turkey (cover of Saturday Evening Post, Dec 1, 1923, pilgrim trading with an Indian for a turkey)
• Pilgrim (cover of Saturday Evening Post, pilgrim with turkey and Bible)
• Thanksgiving 1628/1928 (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 24, 1928, pilgrim and football player)
• Childhood Thanksgiving (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 26, 1927, old man with childhood dream of Thanksgiving turkey)
• Thanksgiving Crest (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 26, 1932, two children eating under crest of picked turkey)
• Trimming the Pie (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 23, 1935)
• Basting the Turkey (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 28, 1936)
• After Turkey Nap (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 26, 1938)
• Turkey in the Tree (Cover of Saturday Evening Post, November 25, 1939)

Some whose work appears in posters:

• William van Doren, Pilgrim's Thanksgiving Dinner
• C.M. Padory, Embarkation of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth
• Forrest C. Crooks (1893 - 1982), Pilgrims Find Reminder of Homeland In Holly Tree
• Currier & Ives (1834-1907 American), Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 11th December 1620, Lithograph
• Edward Henry Corbould (British watercolorist, 1815-1905), Embarkation of the Pilgrim Fathers

John Currin (American painter, 1962- ), Thanksgiving 2003, oil on canvas, 1729x1323 mm, Tate Gallery

Sarony & Major, "The Landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock, Dec. 11th 1620" (c. 1848), lithograph. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

Collections of Thanksgiving artwork

• Pilgrim Hall Museum contains several important paintings.
• Mike Haywood paintings of the Mayflower. Contemporary artist paintings and prints. Another.
• Vintage Thanksgiving postcards
• Thanksgiving Magazine Covers, Curtis Publishing Company
• Thanksgiving Covers of LIFE Magazine

More Thanksgiving Stories and Articles

Christian Art and Paintings: Abraham Art | Agnus Dei Art | Angel Art | Annunciation Art | Celtic Stone Cross Art | Christian Symbols and Art | Christmas Art | David | Easter Art | Passion of Christ by Tissot | Hebrew-Jewish Art | Holy Week Art | Jacob | Jesus' Ministry Art | Jesus' Teaching Art | Jesus Portraits and Art | John the Baptist | John the Apostle | Lamb of God Art | Last Supper Art | Madonna & Child Art | Moses and the Exodus | Names of God Art | OT Misc Art | Psalms Art | Palm Sunday Art | Paul Art and Paintings | Day of Pentecost Art | Peter Art and Paintings | Prayer Art | Resurrection Art | Revelation Art | Thanksgiving and Pilgrims Art | Timothy Art and Paintings
Copyright of artwork. Much, but not all, of the artwork linked to on this site is in the public domain worldwide due to the date of death of its author (if it is was published outside of the U.S. and the author has been dead for over 70 years), or due to its date of publication (if it was first made public in the U.S. before 1923), at least in the United States (see Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp.), in Germany, and in many other countries.

Copyright © 1985-2012, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastorjoyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.