We recently invited all PEM members to vote on the artwork that will grace our new 2026 membership cards, and the winning design is a choice that speaks to our maritime roots. 

The Mount Vernon Meeting a British Squadron is an evocative maritime scene by Michele Felice Cornè (1752–1845), showing a cluster of ships in full sail coming head to head under a forbidding cloud bank.  This striking painting won out over a blue and white plate from Jingdezhen, China and a colorful Indian palampore in a survey of more than 600 members.

The painting captures a dramatic moment at sea involving the Salem-built merchant ship Mount Vernon coming upon a group of British vessels. While the nature of this encounter is subject to interpretation, the work reflects the hazards and complex negotiations of early American shipping and naval skirmishes with foreign powers. Cornè immigrated to the United States from his native Naples, fleeing French occupation aboard the Mount Vernon in 1800, and this painting likely records a memorable event during his passage. He made the ship the subject of multiple paintings, and may have used those paintings as payment for his passage across the Atlantic.

Ship paintings like Corné’s resonate profoundly with the museum’s origins: the Peabody Essex Museum evolved from the East India Marine Society, a group of Salem captains whose voyages around the globe inspired them to bring back artwork, natural history specimens and other wonders for public display in Salem. Their collective spirit of curiosity led them to collect not only stunning model ships and corals, but also everyday objects like fishhooks, pipes and weapons.

Cornè settled in Salem less than a year after the formation of the East India Marine Society, and according to records, the Society commissioned him to prepare a series of decorative fireboards and other works to embellish its rooms. The artist later moved to Boston before retiring to Newport, Rhode Island, where he continued to paint until his death in 1845 at the age of 93. A popular legend credits him introducing the tomato to his New England neighbors. Early 19th-century Americans believed the plant to be poisonous due to its resemblance to deadly nightshade, but Corné would reportedly eat tomatoes in public to convince them otherwise.

Originally born on the island of Elba, the Neopolitan artist was known for his portraits, murals and decorative interiors. But he is especially celebrated for his maritime paintings. They capture ships, naval engagements and coastal views with great action, atmosphere and attention to detail. Several of his other luminous works are on view in PEM’s Maritime Art gallery. His body of work helped define early marine art in the earliest days of the United States, and remains a highlight of our collection.

A membership card selection that represents the spirit of PEM’s seafaring heritage is especially fitting since we reopen East India Marine Hall on March 14. Visitors will experience a new, multimedia-enhanced installation of the East India Marine Society’s original exhibition space, chock full of several hundred objects that offer a fascinating cross-section of PEM’s global collection and earliest years.

Our new membership card design celebrates PEM’s deep connection to maritime history, global exchange and artistic excellence — all themes at the heart of our mission. Whether you are a longtime member or brand new to PEM, this card unlocks the stories and seascapes that shaped our national and regional identities, and continue to inspire us today.

Keep an eye out for these cards in 2026, and many thanks to all members who voted! Current members can attend the opening celebration for East India Marine Hall on March 11.