Real/Mythic: People of Early Plymouth, a new exhibition opening at Pilgrim Hall Museum this summer, seeks to unravel what is known and unknown about real life historical figures in early Plymouth, revealing how understandings of the Mayflower Pilgrims and the Wampanoag inhabitants of the region have been shaped over time. The exhibit opens to the public on Friday, July 7th with selected materials on display through early December 2024. A special preview will be held on Thursday, July 6th, 5:30 to 7 pm, free and open to the public; by reservation. Make reservations online, or contact us: membership@pilgrimhall.org

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Artworks on loan include Karen Rinaldo’s The First Thanksgiving, Annie Bissette’s Dorothy Bradford Comes to America, and Eastern Leaders of the Dawn by Mashpee Wampanoag artisan Eleanor Jackson Coombs. An unusual early 20th century painting by English portrait artist Alfred Praga, A Puritan Wooing, depicts the romanticized story of the courtship of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden and is being shown for the first time ever in America.

For more information on exhibitions and programs, visit pilgrimhall.org or contact us here.

Featuring original artifacts, interactive multi-media displays, and special materials on loan, Real/Mythic reveals a compelling and complex past through a biographical lens. Mini-films highlight the significance of William Bradford and Ousamequin, leaders during a time of dangerous uncertainty, and the voices of English and Wampanoag women whose histories were long silenced, produced by the Wampanoag-owned production firm, SmokeSygnals. A highlight of the exhibition is a page of The First Dialogue, a rare surviving document in the hand of Governor William Bradford, on loan from the Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Real fragments of a 17th-century garment believed to have been owned by Priscilla Mullins Alden are also featured, as well as The Brewster Book Manuscript, containing early handwritten notes of Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow. Two recently completed embroidered panels of the epic needlework-in-the-making, The Plymouth Tapestry, will also be on display for the first time to the public. The Tapestry is the creation of Plymouth artist Elizabeth Creeden. 

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