Thomas Hart Benton painted History of New York – 1653: Colonial Era (Pilgrims and Indians) – Study circa 1927 as a study for an ambitious four-part mural project he endeavored to produce for lunettes in the New York Public Library. Benton’s first foray into murals took place in 1922, when he painted his 18-panel The American Historical Epic. His second attempt, History of New York aimed to portray a visual documentation of four important periods in New York history: “Indians,” “Colonial Era,” “Civil War,” and “New York Today.” History of New York – 1653: Colonial Era (Pilgrims and Indians) – Study depicts a group of pilgrims negotiating with an indigenous man in a colonial town. The New York Public Library trustees unfortunately never commissioned Benton to realize the murals, and the finished panels remained in the artist's collection until his death.