An artist colony in Old Lyme
Florence Griswold Museum - Old Lyme, CT | 6/30/22
On Mary’s birthday we decided to visit The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. Here are some things we learned, gleaned from the website and other published information. Florence Griswold was one of four children of a ships captain, born on Christmas Day, 1850. She was raised in the finest house on the main street of the thriving Connecticut town of Old Lyme. A center of shipbuilding and commerce, Old Lyme was established in the early 1600s and counted the Griswolds among the town’s oldest families. Their Late Georgian-style mansion, built in 1817 on a twelve-acre estate, was purchased by Captain Robert Griswold for his bride Helen Powers in 1841. To survive financially after the Civil War, the family turned the home into a school and boarding house. By the late 1890’s only Miss Florence was left to maintain the family homestead. In the summer of 1900 a boardinghouse for artists began operation in the quiet shoreline town, and the Griswold House was the perfect place to settle. Conveniently located between the cultural hubs of Boston and New York, it offered features found in the influential art colonies of France and Holland: a stimulating environment, artistic camaraderie, inexpensive lodging, and picturesque scenery. Woodrow Wilson and his family visited Old Lyme several summers, staying at the Florence Griswold House. In the summer of 1903 Childe Hassam stayed in the house, and the following year he returned with 10 other artists. For the next two decades Miss Florence Griswold’s house on Lyme Street was home to one of the most famous art colonies in America and critical to the development of American Impressionism, and Miss Florence was the very soul of the Colony. The House is noted for its collection of American Impressionist paintings throughout, many depicting Miss Florence and the property. In 1993 the house was designated a National Historic Landmark. The site encompasses 12-acres of historic buildings, grounds, gardens, and walking trails. There is a very nice cafe and plenty of onsite parking. The admission was only $10 per person and we felt it was a great value for what we were able to experience on our visit.
The main parlor was used as a meeting place - music and lively conversation were the preferred entertainment.
Some guest bedrooms were also personal studio space.
Many of the artists whose paintings are on display were not very well known or did not ever achieve notoriety in the art world.
The lawn overlooking the Lieutenant River
We estimated the total size of the main house was between 5000 and 6000 square feet
The surrounding gardens are just lovely, with many different types of flowers
No Mary is not standing in front of a painting! This was a sitting area overlooking the Lieutenant River near the cafe. It was really breathtaking! and one of the many reasons we love Connecticut!
Artists were encouraged to paint the door panels in the house! Many are very detailed and quite beautiful.
Florence in her garden
This was the main dining hall displaying the many painted panels. photo By Altoemily - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99268420
