Surprisingly,
of the 103 Mayflower passengers, only two are known to have
had portraits made. The first, and best authenticated, is the
portrait of Edward Winslow. The artist who painted the portrait is
unknown, but the painting was done in London in 1651. The original
is currently in the possession of the
Pilgrim Hall Museum
in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Edward
Winslow came on the Mayflower at the age of 25, and was elected
governor of Plymouth on several occasions, including 1633, 1636, and
1644. Edward Winslow returned to England on colony business on
several occasions as well, and in 1646 he returned to England
permanently, where he took various positions in the government of Oliver
Cromwell, following the English Civil War. In 1651, he sat for the
portrait, when he would have been 56-years old. Three years later, he went as commissioner to the West
Indies on an expedition to capture the island of Hispaniola. He
died at sea of a sudden fever, and was buried at sea between Hispaniola
and Jamaica.The other
known portrait belongs to Myles Standish. Standish was the militia
captain at Plymouth, responsible for the colony's security and defense.
When he came on the Mayflower, he was in his mid-30s. The
portrait was "discovered" in a picture shop in Boston in 1877, so its
authenticity has been debated. The portrait was dated 1625, and
was labeled "M. Standish," age 38. The portrait's current owner or
location is unknown--what exists are two late 19th century portraits
that were based off the original. From the two line drawings,
noted portrait and maritime artist Mike Haywood, at my request, painted
a full-color portrait of Myles Standish.
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Modern portrait of Myles Standish, based on the published
sketches (at right), painted by Mike Haywood in 2004. |
 
Two line drawings based on
the now-lost portrait of Myles Standish. The portrait on
the left was first published in 1881, and the portrait on the
right was first published in 1897. |
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