This is one of the earliest images of the Pilgrims and is based on a 1799 engraving by Samuel Hall. Notice that the Pilgrims are wearing trousers and other costume more typical of the early 1800s than the early 1600s. Also, the Pilgrims are being greeted by Natives. Corne and other artists did not have access to Bradford’s journal, where he records that the first meeting between the Pilgrims and the Natives did not take place until four months after the Pilgrims landed.
This is one of several canvases of the same subject painted by Corne during his years in Salem. The works are known more for their romantic charm than for their historical accuracy as they picked up on the theme of Pilgrims as American heroes.

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