Collection
/
American Art

Embarkation of the Pilgrims

Robert Walter Weir

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

This work documents a tearful group of English Puritans departing from their temporary home in Holland aboard the Speedwell, a ship that was to accompany the Mayflower to New England. Robert Weir based the picture on documentary evidence—written accounts, histories, and costume records—to enhance its authenticity. Painted during a period plagued by discrimination and its violent wake, Embarkation of the Pilgrims reminded viewers that much of the United States was settled by Europeans seeking freedom from religious persecution.

Caption

Robert Walter Weir (American, 1803–1889). Embarkation of the Pilgrims, 1857. Oil on canvas, 48 1/8 × 72 1/4 in., 133 lb. (122.2 × 183.5 cm, 60.33kg) frame: 60 1/2 x 84 1/2 x 6 3/8 in. (153.7 x 214.6 x 16.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, A. Augustus Healy Fund and Healy Purchase Fund B, 75.188. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

American Art

Title

Embarkation of the Pilgrims

Date

1857

Medium

Oil on canvas

Classification

Painting

Dimensions

48 1/8 × 72 1/4 in., 133 lb. (122.2 × 183.5 cm, 60.33kg) frame: 60 1/2 x 84 1/2 x 6 3/8 in. (153.7 x 214.6 x 16.2 cm)

Signatures

Signed lower left: "Rob.t W. Weir. / 1857."

Credit Line

A. Augustus Healy Fund and Healy Purchase Fund B

Accession Number

75.188

Frequent Art Questions

  • Is this the same painting that you can also find in the U.S. Capitol? It looks the same.

    You're right! :)
    This reduced version of Weir's grand "Embarkation of the Pilgrims," painted in 1843 as part of a government commission for the decoration of the Capitol Rotunda in D.C.

  • Could you tell me more about this piece?

    Sure! "Embarkation of the Pilgrims" by Robert Walter Weir depicts the Pilgrims on the deck of the ship Speedwell in 1620. The figures at the center of the composition are William Brewster, holding the Bible; Governor Carver, kneeling; and pastor John Robinson, with extended arms. The departure (or embarkation) of the Speedwell was a big affair, although the ship had to turn back soon after and was eventually abandoned in favor of the larger Mayflower.

  • Who are they?

    "The Embarkation of the Pilgrims" shows a group of English travelers about to cross the Atlantic in 1620. The figures at the center of the composition are William Brewster, holding the Bible; Governor Carver, kneeling; and pastor John Robinson, praying in a black outfit. Meanwhile, the rest of the painting offers clues to who they are and what they are doing.
    Notice the very European buildings on the right signifying the place they are leaving behind. Also notice the rainbow on the left, a more important symbol of the hope for peace and prosperity they hope to find in the new land.

  • Why is there a rainbow?

    The rainbow is a symbol of hope for the new life the Puritans hope to lead in the New World! It's borrowed from the Old Testament story of Noah and the Ark.

  • There is a very large print of the painting of the Embarking of the Pilgrims in the rotunda of the US Capitol building. Is that based off the one here?

    In fact, it's the other way around! This painting from 1857 recreates Weir's commission for the Capitol issued in 1836. You've got a great visual memory!
    Thank you so much for your help today!

Have information?

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Artists and makers

Robert Walter Weir

1 work in the collection