18″ Square Canvas or Cotton Canvas Pillowcase — USS Constitution with Border— Back Emblem in White on Deep Navy

Return of the Constitution — Old Ironsides Collection — Walter Franklin Lansil

This collection draws inspiration from Walter Franklin Lansil’s dramatic painting of USS Constitution entering Boston Harbor following one of the most celebrated American naval victories of the War of 1812—a victory associated with the ship’s enduring nickname, “Old Ironsides.”

The original oil painting is now held by the Mayflower Descendants Museum, founded by American Tapestry founder and creative director Cherie Behrens.

The painting received significant newspaper attention during Lansil’s lifetime and was documented as exhibited. In 1907, The Boston Globe reproduced the painting prominently beneath the headline “The Victorious Constitution” and devoted an article to the historic scene Lansil depicted. The article praised his handling of color, light, smoke, water, and atmosphere and reported that a U.S. Navy admiral who had once sailed aboard Constitution pronounced the painting “perfect.”

Other newspapers also covered Lansil and his work, preserving a record of the attention the painting received in its own time.

A Famous American Artist

In a separate article in 1923, The Boston Globe explained Lansil was a "famous" artist while discussing his body of work and where to view his artwork. Newspapers followed his career throughout his lifetime, reporting on his exhibitions, artistic achievements, travels, and paintings.

Swipe to see the original painting that inspired this collection.

Meet the New American Art Museum Bringing History into Public View Through Art and Artifacts

The Mayflower Descendants Museum is an American art museum whose holdings bring together a wide range of artists and stories—from talented and emerging artists, some of whom may not yet have been represented in museum collections, to artists whose work was overlooked or little known during their lifetimes, to artists represented in some of the world’s most significant institutional and royal collections.

In the latter category, works by artists represented in the Museum’s collection can also be found at historic European estates, in public spaces, and in major institutions, including the Louvre in Paris; the British Royal Collection; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Picture Gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Smithsonian; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.

The Museum’s holdings also include works that have never before been on public view, created by both American and international artists whose art, objects, and stories intersect with the broader American story connected to Mayflower descendants—a diverse global population estimated to number more than 35 million.

Walter Franklin Lansil (1846–1925)

Walter Franklin Lansil was born in Bangor, Maine, and became one of New England’s admired marine and Venetian painters of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

He received his earliest artistic training under celebrated Bangor portraitist Jeremiah Pearson Hardy, whose studio helped shape a generation of Maine artists. That early grounding in draftsmanship and disciplined observation remained visible throughout Lansil’s career.

By the late nineteenth century, Walter had become firmly established within Boston’s artistic community. He was a longtime member of the Boston Art Club and exhibited in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.

His Venetian scenes—canals, moonlit views, architecture, and atmospheric cityscapes—became an important part of his reputation. Contemporary critics praised his poetic treatment of color and atmosphere.

The Victory Behind the Painting and the Birth of the Ship's Nickname, Old Ironsides

Lansil’s painting depicts USS Constitution returning to Boston following one of the most celebrated American naval victories of the War of 1812.

On August 19, 1812, USS Constitution, commanded by Captain Isaac Hull, encountered the British warship HMS Guerrière in the Atlantic.

“HMS” stands for “His Majesty’s Ship,” the designation used for vessels serving Britain’s Royal Navy during the reign of a king.

At the time, Britain possessed the world’s dominant naval power, while the young United States maintained a far smaller navy.

During the battle, Constitution inflicted devastating damage on Guerrière’s masts and rigging. The British vessel became unable to continue fighting and surrendered. Guerrière was so badly damaged that she could not be safely taken as a prize and was subsequently burned.

The victory carried significance far beyond the destruction of a single enemy ship.

An American frigate had defeated a British frigate in direct combat at a moment when British naval power seemed nearly unassailable. The victory became an important boost to American morale early in the war and helped establish USS Constitution as a national symbol.

The battle is also associated with the ship’s enduring nickname, “Old Ironsides.”

During the fight, British cannonballs were seen bouncing off Constitution’s exceptionally strong oak hull. According to the traditional account, an American sailor exclaimed that her sides were made of iron, and the nickname “Old Ironsides” was born. Both the U.S. Navy and the USS Constitution Museum connect the nickname directly to the Guerriere battle.

The ship was not ironclad—she was constructed largely of exceptionally dense live oak—but the nickname endured.

Lansil’s Return of the Constitution

Walter Franklin Lansil transformed the historic victory into a sweeping scene of homecoming and celebration.

Rather than concentrating solely on combat, Lansil depicted Constitution entering Boston Harbor surrounded by ships, small boats, flags, smoke, crowds, and maritime activity.

The painting presents the vessel not simply as a warship, but as a returning national hero.

In Museums and Institutional Collections

Walter Franklin Lansil’s work and archival materials are represented in institutional collections and have been the subject of museum exhibitions.

The Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art preserves Lansil’s handwritten drafts for A Trip to Venice, documenting his artistic travels, reflections, and the city that became one of the defining subjects of his career.

The Monhegan Museum holds Off Monhegan by Walter F. Lansil.

The Whistler House Museum of Art has presented a dedicated exhibition of Lansil’s maritime and Venetian paintings, The Allure of Venice.

Works by Lansil have also been associated with the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College, and historical Museum of Fine Arts, Boston records document paintings by Lansil entering or appearing in the institution’s collections and exhibitions.

His work was exhibited during his lifetime in major American art centers, including New York and Philadelphia, placing him within the broader story of American painting during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

A Trip to Venice

In 1914, Walter Franklin Lansil published A Trip to Venice, a reflective memoir based on notes from his artistic travels during the 1880s.

In it, Lansil describes his first encounter with Venice, his response to its extraordinary light and color, and the experience that helped shape the direction of his artistic career.

Venice became one of the subjects for which he was best known.

An Artistic Family

Walter Franklin Lansil was part of an artistic family.

His brother, Wilber H. Lansil, became a noted painter of cattle, pastoral subjects, and landscapes and, like Walter, was associated with the Boston Art Club.

The brothers traveled and exhibited together, including a substantial joint Boston exhibition featuring hundreds of works.

While Wilber became especially associated with pastoral subjects and animals, Walter increasingly became identified with ships, harbors, Venice, and the sea.

About American Tapestry

American Tapestry, founded by Cherie Behrens, is a heritage-driven lifestyle house inspired by historic art and artifacts connected to the American story—often more than a century old—translated into handbags, travel accessories, home décor, jewelry, glassware, games, furniture, textiles, and more. Every design is created by Cherie Behrens and draws inspiration exclusively from works and objects held by the Mayflower Descendants Museum, which she also founded. 

American Tapestry follows the unexpected threads that connect the Museum’s holdings to American art, artifacts, literature, and cultural history. Not every work that inspires a collection was created by an American artist; some enter the American story through research that reveals their ties to American people, objects, and narratives.

Through these holdings, we trace the stitches of America’s past—uncovering connections among people, places, objects, art, literature, and history that together reveal an interwoven American tapestry.

Our mission is simple: to bring historic art, design, artifacts, and the stories that intersect with them forward into the present and into everyday life—bringing often‑invisible history into view.

Connect with American Tapestry

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Connect with the Mayflower Descendants Museum

Website: www.mayflowerdescendantsmuseum.org
Instagram: @mayflowerdescendantsmuseum
Facebook: Mayflower Descendants Museum
YouTube: @mayflowerdescendantsmuseum
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Pillowcase Information-Made in Canada

Canvas:

• Made from 100% polyester upholstery canvas
• Sturdy, textured fabric
• 50 000 double rub count for fabric durability
• Vivid print that will never fade after washing
• Easy care, machine wash in cold water with a phosphate-free detergent, lay flat to dry, do not bleach, can also be dry cleaned

Cotton Linen Canvas:

• Made from a specially developed 68% cotton / 32% linen blend
• Permanent reactive digital inks designed not to fade or wash away
• Invisible zipper sewn into the bottom