After walking once through the Palmer Museum of Art, I found a piece that drew my eye not for its scale or bold colors, but for its historical significance. This piece, First Communion in the New World by Tompkins Harrison Matteson was a medium sized oil on canvas that hung in the corner of one of the back rooms. What it lacked in stature in more than made up for in containing elements that drew a picture of an entire period of American History, and it was for that that I chose this piece.

The setting for this painting is a small forest glade with a preacher holding the communion cup and bread, surrounded by the first new world settlers. The preachers face is much lighter than the faces of his fellow pilgrims as he gazes towards the heavens. In the background you can see several Native Americans watching the proceedings curiously while a landing boat brings yet another load of “white faces” to shore. In short, this oil on canvas painting gives wonderful insight into what happened as the first white settlers made their way to the New World. Starting with those present in the glade itself, this painting shares the purpose of those original settlers; the pursuit of religious freedom. Those around the preacher further the message of freedom as you see children frolicking in the grass while another man sits writing in a book, a standard necessary for free speech. Behind the main group, you see two Native Americans; one of which holds an inquisitive look on his face while his mohawked compatriot holds a grim, almost hostile expression. In the far background you can see a group of men stepping off a small rowboat holding guns, a clear indication of the violence that the white settlers would eventually bring to the continent. Painted in 1858, this piece was created long after the events in the work took place, and because of that Matteson was able to paint an accurate portrait of the events of that era. This painting evokes pathos in its religious appeal, seen through the pastor and the elements of communion, as well as an emotional appeal to heritage; as these were the people that founded this great land, yet as the Native Americans remind us that it had a very high cost.

Tompkins Harrison Matteson was an artist out of New York State that focused in many of his works on historical, patriotic, and religious subjects. All three of these can be seen in this work, and they can be given credence through our own knowledge of this period. What Matteson does is to put that knowledge in one painting that reminds you of a period that influenced us all so much yet is very easily put by the wayside. This knowledge can be separated into several distinct parts: the goal of the first settlers to find religious freedom, the Native Americans having been belligerently pushed aside, and the imperialists who followed that led the largest and most extensive genocide that took place in human history.

I found visiting the Palmer Museum of Art to be a positive experience. It had a very clean design that separated the art, keeping paintings significant in their own areas. It also had a moderate range of styles and periods, though I thought there were some big ones that were missing. I really enjoy museums in general, though I have never been a big fan of art museums. American and natural history have always been far more intriguing subjects for me. I would be willing to go back to the Palmer, though probably not for a while. It would also be nice to visit with a guide who could give much more detailed histories of the works on display.