Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 11th Dec. 1620
In this wintry historical scene, several groups of people (Pilgrims) come ashore, after disembarking from rowboats that transported them from a three-masted ship, the Mayflower, anchored in the harbor (near left background). They advance up a small slope. Several trunks and containers are on the snow-covered ground near two leafless trees (left). At the center of the image, a man, who is wearing a hat and carrying a rifle, looks warily to the left as he strides toward three people praying: a hatless, bearded man who stands beside a woman wearing a red shawl, and a kneeling bearded man. In the right foreground, a standing man with an axe over his right shoulder points his left arm to the viewer's right as he addresses two men (one in a red cloak seated on a trunk; one in a blue cloak has his back to the viewer). In the right middleground, a man wearing a dark hat, a red cloak, and dark britches stands with his hands on his walking stick in front of a cluster of trees. A snow-covered mountain range is in the distance (across the water). The image is surrounded by a ruled border; the title is imprinted in bottom margin.
Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life and its history. People eagerly acquired such lithographs featuring picturesque scenery, rural and city views, ships, railroads, portraits, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. As the firm expanded, Nathaniel included his younger brother Charles in the business. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law) was made a business partner; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued until 1907.
Nathaniel Currier, whose successful New York-based lithography firm began in 1835, produced thousands of hand-colored prints in various sizes that together create a vivid panorama of mid-to-late nineteenth century American life and its history. People eagerly acquired such lithographs featuring picturesque scenery, rural and city views, ships, railroads, portraits, hunting and fishing scenes, domestic life and numerous other subjects, as an inexpensive way to decorate their homes or business establishments. As the firm expanded, Nathaniel included his younger brother Charles in the business. In 1857, James Merritt Ives (the firm's accountant since 1852 and Charles's brother-in-law) was made a business partner; subsequently renamed Currier & Ives, the firm continued until 1907.
Artwork Details
- Title: Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 11th Dec. 1620
- Publisher: Lithographed and published by Nathaniel Currier (American, Roxbury, Massachusetts 1813–1888 New York)
- Date: 1847–56
- Medium: Hand-colored lithograph
- Dimensions: Image: 8 1/4 × 12 1/2 in. (21 × 31.8 cm)
Image and text: 9 in. × 12 1/2 in. (22.9 × 31.8 cm)
Sheet: 13 1/2 × 17 13/16 in. (34.3 × 45.3 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Bequest of Adele S. Colgate, 1962
- Object Number: 63.550.431
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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