Collection
Maritime Art and History
PEM’s wide-ranging maritime collection conveys the far-reaching cultural, symbolic and emotional impact of the sea.
The sea holds universal allure as a muse for artistic and cultural expression.
Emphasizing physical fortitude, technical challenges, adventure, commercial adroitness and exposure to other cultures, works in PEM’s maritime collection employ diverse forms of expression to convey the far-reaching cultural, symbolic and emotional impact of the sea.
PEM was founded in 1799 in part to collect ship’s logs, navigational instruments and sea charts that mariners could consult to increase safety at sea for all. The collection rapidly expanded to include ship models, paintings and prints that chronicled notable experiences of trade, exploration and cross-cultural interaction. During long ocean voyages, crew members created decorated boxes, whimsies in bottles, nautical carvings and scrimshaw. These works capture the distinctive creative spirit and emotional impulses generated by seafaring experiences. From this perceptive selection of extraordinary objects arose the first and most comprehensive maritime collection in the United States.
PEM’s maritime holdings reflect the legacy of many generous donors, some of whom contributed substantial collections to help the museum tell a wider range of stories of interaction with the sea around the globe and through time. These collections focus on Pacific exploration and discovery, sea charts, whaling paintings and prints, steamship and ocean liner paintings, posters and ephemera, ship portraits by American and European artists and New England fishing scenes.
PEM strives to embrace a global perspective on the maritime experience through historical and contemporary works that express the universal significance and symbolism of the sea.
Read more
Hide
Highlights from this collection
ON VIEW
Two-headed equestrian figurehead, about 1750
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
ON VIEW
Royal presentation octant dedicated to King Louis XVI, about 1786
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
ON VIEW
Model of the ship Queen Elizabeth, 1947–48
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
ON VIEW
They Took Their Wives with Them on Their Cruises, about 1938
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
ON VIEW
Model of the ship Friendship, about 1804
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
ON VIEW
The Stranding of Corvettes in the Mauvais Canal, Strait of Torres (L’échouage des corvettes dans le canal Mauvais, détroit de Torrès), 1843
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
Two-headed equestrian figurehead, about 1750
Artist in the United Kingdom, Two-headed equestrian figurehead, about 1750 (detail). White pine. Museum purchase, made possible by Ulf B. and Elizabeth C. Heide. 2018.12.1.
On view in the Byrne Family Gallery of Maritime Art.
Loans and acquisitions
PEM is committed to providing the broadest possible access to its collection through the loan of objects for educational and scholarly purposes. Learn how to request a loan from the museum’s collection.
Keep exploring
Blog
Renewing our Friendship
5 min read
PEMcast
PEMcast 21 | Part 1: The Sea Shanty Craze
23 min listen
Exhibition
Maritime Art
Ongoing
Blog
Our relationship to the sea
4 min read
