Show 0 i i 2 The Story of a Famous Thanksgiving Picture r rBY Ii i ii I I BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON t y NOW V b V that Thanksgiving Day will vill soon be here you may be sure that you'll be looking at a certain picture rather frequently Youve You've seen it many many times times times-in in books in newspapers newspapers in magazines in poster displays in school ex- ex exhibits exhibits exhibits ex ex- hibits in art stores Its It's one of Americas America's favorite pictures and because it has been reproduced reproduced reproduced or displayed so regularly around Thanksgiving time it has become almost as much a symbol of that day as roast turkey pumpkin pic pie and cranberry cran- cran berry sauce The celebration of Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanks Thanks- giving Da Day y is a distinctively American institution Therefore Therefore Therefore There There- fore it would seem appropriate that all of the symbols connected connected con con- with it should also be purely American So this picture picture pic pre ture of an early American scene should have been the product of an American artist and p painted in this country But it It was painted by an Englishman in England and Englishmen gazed upon it long before it had the admiring approval ap- ap approval of American eyes George Henry Boughton was his name and his painting which was destined to become such a favorite in America was first shown in London at the Royal W r sr by J A if v I I t PRISCILLA Academy's exhibit in 1867 When Boughton painted it he had no idea of associating it with the American Thanksgiving Day celebration celebration celebration cel cel- nor did he ever dream that it would become a symbol of that celebration Moreover he gave it an entirely entirely entirely en en- different title from the name by which we know it He called it Early Puritans of New England Going to Worship Armed to Protect Themselves From Indians Indians Indians In In- and Wild Beasts But we Americans preferring something something some thing tiling short and snappy even evenin evenin evenin in the titles of our historical pictures pictures pictures pic pic- tures shortened that to Puritans Puri Puritans tans Going to Church Then with witha witha a a a fine disregard for the historical difference between the Puritans and the Pilgrims we changed that title to the one by which the picture is now best known known- Pilgrims Going to Church Inspiration for the Painting Of course its it's possible that the theartist theartist theartist artist himself disregarded the difference between those two groups of Massachusetts pio pio- For the theme of the picture picture picture pic pic- ture was suggested to him by a 7 ad S A Aco t 1 r. r fj MI i- i v i-v co Ar f. f 4 Y f E r i ot i 10 t E il W I i J. J lj d 1 f l J M L u. u EARLY EARL Y PURITANS OF NEW V ENGLAND GOING TO WORSHIP ti ARMED TO PROTECT THEMSELVES THEMSELVES THEM THEM- SELVES SEL FROM INDIANS AND WILD BEASTS Pilgrims Going to Church rather than the Puritans so perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps his was the original error in using the word Puritan rather than Pilgrim in the title of his famous painting and we Americans unconsciously corrected corrected corrected cor cor- that error for him in renaming renaming renaming re re- re- re naming it In regard to those other pictures pictures pictures pic pic- tures it is interesting to note that Boughton painted one which might better have been associated ed with Thanksgiving than his Pilgrims Going to Church It is the one he called The First Thanksgiving in America reproduced in this article but for some reason it has never become become become be be- come so well known nor so popular popular popular pop pop- ular as any of his other paintings paintings paintings paint paint- ings of life among the Pilgrims Perhaps the fact that there are areno areno areno no women in it may account for that Boughton was especially successful in painting female figures figures fig fig- figures ures and the appeal of most of his pictures notably his Pilgrim Pilgrim Pil grim Exiles The Two Farewells Farewells Farewells Fare Fare- wells Return of the Mayflower er John Alden and Priscilla and Priscilla is due largely to the women depicted in them Boughton was born in Norfolk England in 1833 When he was six years old his family cameto came cameto cameto to America and settled in Albany N N. Y where he passed his youth His parents intended him for a business career but he showed little interest in that and spent most of his spare time making pen-and-ink pen sketches Once when he went to a general store to buy hooks fish-hooks his eye was attracted to some tubes of oil colors and he bought them instead With them he produced a painting on onan onan onan an old piece of canvas and this marked the beginning of what was destined to become a distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis- dis career as an artist From that time on he continued continued continued contin contin- to paint in an m unsystematic way however Realizing the need for technical training he succeeded succeeded succeeded suc suc- in selling several of his paintings in Albany and with the money obtained thus he went to London to study After Alter a few months he returned to Albany and subsequently moved to NewYork New NewYork NewYork York city where he remained for two years and soon made himself himself him him- himself self known as a landscape paint paint- er He also worked as an illustrator illustrator illus illus- tra tor one of his commissions being the illustrations for Washington Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington Irvings Irving's Legend o 0 of f Sleepy Hollow In 1858 he exhibited exhibited exhibited ex ex- ex- ex his first picture Winter Vinter Twilight at the National Academy Academy Academy Acad Acad- emy of Design and was frequently frequent frequent- ly represented there being madean made an academician in 1871 Returns to England In the meantime however he had left New York for study in Paris and travel gavel on the continent and in 1 he returned to his native tai lai and settled in Lon Lon- don But he took back with him hima a great fondness for the United States where he had spent his boyhood and this emotional at- at 1 F J I sra TilE THE FIRST THANKSGIVING IN AMERICA passage in Bartletts Bartlett's Pilgrim Fathers which reads The few villages were almost isolated being being being be be- ing connected only by long miles of blind pathway through t the h e ewood wood wood The cavalcade proceeding proceeding proceeding pro pro- through the forest to the church the marriage procession if marriage procession could be thought of in those frightful days was often interrupted by bythe bythe the death shot of some invisible enemy Other Boughton pictures pictures pictures pic pic- tures dealt with the Pilgrims included not only the America of ohis his own time but extended extended extended ex ex- tended back to the romantic era of the first settlement on the shores of the New World Those adventurous days were very real realto realto realto to him and because of his reconstructive reconstructive reconstructive re re- re- re constructive imagination and an anart anart anart art with which to express it he has made them very real to later generations of Americans In fact it is not too much to say that Boughton's paintings more than any other single force have shaped the ideas of Americans concerning the kind of people who settled New England and made it easy for them to visualize visualize visualize visual visual- ize the life of those pioneer times Certainly it is true that we get geta a more vivid impression of those early New Englanders from Boughton's famous painting which is seen so often at Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanks Thanks- giving than we do from Bartlett's Bartletts Bartletts Bartlett's Bartletts Bartlett's Bart Bart- letts lett's words which provided the inspiration for it Boughton set to work on this picture in 1866 and finished it in time for the Royal Academy's exhibit the next year It was his only contribution to that exhibit but it was enough to establish his reputation as a areal areal areal real artist Concerning it one English critic critic critic crit crit- ic said The pathos and dramatic dramatic dramatic dra dra- matic strength of the composition and the vigor of the technical treatment made this work markedly markedly mark mark- edly successful and put Mr l Boughton finally among the most prominent of the younger artists with original ideas and skill much above the average But even more illuminating is the comment of an American critic It requires requires re re- requires re- re quires no art education to understand understand understand un un- un- un the hold the painting has from the first had upon the public The picture of that brave career As a beginner in America America Amer Amer- America ica while still doing landscapes he was planning to sketch some snow scenes In order to acclimate acclimate acclimate mate himself to the rigors of the New England winter winter winter win win- ter he did his drawing for a time in a fireless studio One day while working there an elderly man visited him and became s so concerned over the seemingly pitiful plight of the struggling young artist who was apparently too poor to afford coal for a stove that he reported the matter to a wealthy woman of the neighborhood neighbor neighbor- hood in the hope that she would help Boughton She promptly called upon hi him and ordered an expensive picture picture pic pic- picture ture leaving a check for a large sum of money to bind the bar bar- gain Incidentally the subject of the painting was to be a summer landscape landscape about about as far removed from snow and ice and a fireless I studio as one could imagine A I week later the kind-hearted kind woman woman woman wom wom- I an returned to the studio hoping I to see for herself some cheery evidence of her benevolence She was very much surprised to find it as cold as ever This led to pointed inquiries which soon convinced convinced convinced con con- I vinced her that this struggling young artist was working in a j 3 I I pp I THE TWO FAREWELLS I company of pioneers whose religious religious religious re re- re- re fervor was so great that it brought them reverently through the snowdrifts each Sabbath morning every man carrying a Bible and a gun somehow appeals appeals appeals ap ap- ap- ap peals irresistibly to us at Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Thanks Thanks- giving time We Ve gaze upon Mr Boughton's picture of the firm manner in which the Puritans faced their everyday perils with some degree degree degree de de- de- de gree of thankfulness to those there represented for having the wisdom to establish a day upon which we should recall our dependence dependence de de- dependence de- de upon God even before we had the glory of establishing a day upon which we should celebrate celebrate celebrate cel cel- our independence of other other other oth oth- oth- oth er nations Boughton himself has left this record of how this famous painting painting painting paint paint- ing came about The first few small smal pictures which I had painted under the instruction of Edouard Frere in rural France and afterwards in London under the same pleasant but clinging influence had al always always al- al always ways been praised when noticed by the kindly critics for just their Frere qualities This was agreeable agreeable agreeable agree agree- able enough but not quite satis satis- I got rather tired of the dividends that I did not feel quite entitled to so I left the pleasant track and bethought me of the Puritans and the sad but picturesque episodes in which they played parts To insure a pilgrimage with another range of subjects entirely I chose a larger canvas and planned a composition with a greater number number num num- ber of figures The picture was painted in the depths of an English English Eng Eng- lish winter and a sufficiently snowy one Real Atmosphere That last sentence is significant of Boughton's method of putting atmosphere into his paintings especially when taken in connection connection tion with an incident early in his i cold studio from choice rather than necessity She was very I much amused to learn how mistaken mistaken mistaken mis mis- misI I taken she had been about his situation and she b be became e c a m me mea e ea a staunch friend and enthusiastic patron of the young Englishman An International Reputation Boughton died in 1905 but before before be be- fore his career ended he had established established es es- es- es an international reputation reputation tion as an artist of great versa versa- Not only was he famous in both England and America for his pictures of the Puritan era and the Knickerbocker days in New York but he was also unusually unusually unusually un un- usually successful in painting pictures pictures pic pic- tures of French peasant life Several of Boughton's pictures have become parts of public col col- col- col One of his Dutch subjects subjects sub sub- Weeds of the Pavement is in the National Gallery of British British Brit Brit- ish Art When the Dead Leaves Fall an autumn allegory was purchased by the king of of Italy for the Municipal Art Gallery in Rome The Corcoran Gallery in Washington Wash Wash- ington D D. D C. C has two of his pictures One is a small affair on V the e Lu Lord Lurd rd Faun Fauntleroy eroy order and the other is a historical painting painting paint paint- ing entitled The Edict of Wi Wil Vil Villiam liam ham the Testy Although his Pilgrims in Going Going Go- Go ing mg to Church was painted in England and first won acclaim there it is now in the land where it is most beloved It became the property of Mrs K KL L L. L Stuart Stuart St unit of New York k and is now in the which Stuart and Lenox art colt collect collection On forms a part of the New York public library There it is seen by y thousands is but it is is a familiar every year yea eai picture to I millions illions more because ThanksgIVing Thanks Thanks- gIVing would not be Tha in ing g without the i reappearance somewhere o 0 f t h his i s famous famous' Thanksgiving picture which not intended to be a Thanks Thanksgiving was was picture at all giving givingS S e Western I Union Unon- I I I |