Florence Griswold Museum facts for kids
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Florence Griswold House
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Florence Griswold House in 2014
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1817 |
| Architect | Samuel Belcher |
| Architectural style | Late Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 93001604 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1993 |
| Designated NHL | April 19, 1993 |
The Florence Griswold Museum is a cool art museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut. It's built around the old home of a lady named Florence Griswold (1850–1937). Her house was super important for a group called the Old Lyme Art Colony. Many artists from this group lived with Miss Florence. They helped create a style of art called American Impressionism.
Today, the museum has a great collection of American Impressionist paintings. It also has a big 12-acre area with modern and old buildings, beautiful gardens, and fun walking trails.
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Discover the Museum
In 2001, the museum received a large collection of art from a company called Hartford Steam Boiler. This collection included 157 oil paintings and other artworks. All of them were related to Connecticut.
A new building, the Robert and Nancy Krieble Gallery, opened in 2002. It was designed by Centerbrook Architects. This building has a lot of space for art exhibits. It also offers amazing views of the Lieutenant River.
The museum has an Executive Director, Joshua Campbell Torrance.
Amazing Art Collection
The museum has many famous paintings. Here are some of the highlights you can see:
- Milton Avery, East Hartford Meadow, 1922
- Frederic Church, The Charter Oak at Hartford, 1846
- Childe Hassam, Summer Evening (A Woman at the Window), 1886
- David Johnson, View of Greenwich, Connecticut, 1878
- John F. Kensett, Shore of Darien, Connecticut, 1872
- Harlan Page (painter), Portrait of a Man, 1815
- Edward Francis Rook, Laurel, c.1905-10
- Gurdon Trumbull, Black Bass, 1872
- John Ferguson Weir, East Rock, New Haven, 1901
- Edwin White, The Fisher Boy, 1840
- Matilda Browne, Peonies, ca. 1907
- Bessie Potter Vonnoh, Jessie Wilson, 1912–13
You can also find works by artists like Emil Carlsen, Charles Ebert, Bruce Crane, and Willard Metcalf.
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Summer Evening, oil on canvas, Childe Hassam, 1886
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East Rock, New Haven, oil on canvas, John Ferguson Weir, 1901
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Thawing Brook, oil on canvas, Williard Metcalf, 1911
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The Charter Oak at Hartford, oil on canvas, Frederic Church, 1846
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The Florence Griswold House
The Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, Connecticut was once a boardinghouse. Florence Griswold ran it. Many American Impressionist artists lived and painted there. They even painted directly on the walls and doors of the house!
Today, this historic building is part of the Florence Griswold Museum. It was named a National Historic Landmarks in 1993.
Famous artists from the Old Lyme Art Colony stayed at the house. These included Henry Ward Ranger, Edward Charles Volkert, Childe Hassam, and Willard Metcalf. Even U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and his family once ate dinner with Miss Florence and the artists there.
A local resident, Harry Hoffman, helped save Miss Florence's house. He raised money so it could become a museum.
Inside the House: A Look Back to 1910
The first floor of the house looks just like it did around 1910. This was when it was a busy boardinghouse for artists.
When you enter, you walk into a wide center hall. This hall has an "informal gallery" with paintings on the walls. You'll also see old furniture from the Colonial and Empire times. Two bedrooms are off this hallway: Miss Florence's room and a guest artist's room.
The parlor on the first floor has artists' brushes on the fireplace mantel. There's also a fancy gold harp that Robert Griswold brought back from England for his daughter. Artists used to put on shows and entertainment for each other in this room. There's also a formal dining room and a large covered porch at the entrance.
The second floor has five galleries. These spaces show different artworks from the museum's collection. They also display new art that the museum has acquired.
Samuel Belcher designed the house. He also designed the Old Lyme Congregational Church. The house was built in 1817 in the late Georgian-style for William Noyes.
The house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1993. It reopened in July 2007 after a 14-month restoration project.
The Painted Panels: Art on the Walls
The dining room was a special place. Artists would gather there to talk about important topics. It became a showcase for painted wall and door panels. The artists created these artworks right on the house itself!
This idea of painting on walls and doors came from art colonies in France. Many of these artists had visited places like Barbizon and Giverny. There are 41 painted panels in the downstairs rooms.
Many artists added their work to the house. Some of them include Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalf, Henry Rankin Poore, and Matilda Browne. Matilda Browne was the only female artist asked to paint a panel. She was given a special spot: Miss Florence's own bedroom door!
Life at the Lyme Art Colony: Fun and Creativity
Miss Florence's bedroom was her only private space. Today, it's filled with things that remind us of her life. You can see her books, art, gifts, and letters from the artists who became her friends. The rest of the first floor and the two upstairs floors were for her artist-boarders. (And a few resident cats!)
Most artists traveled by train from New York or Boston. They came along the Connecticut shore to Miss Florence's house. During the day, artists would paint en plein air (which means "outdoors"). They painted in the apple orchard, by the Lieutenant River, or in other pretty countryside spots. Sometimes, cows or other animals from local farms were brought in for the artists to paint.
In the evenings, after lively dinners, everyone would go to the parlor. They would enjoy music, games, and other entertainment. They even invented a "Wiggle Game." One artist would draw a few lines, and another artist would turn them into a finished drawing.
Childe Hassam once called visiting Old Lyme "an excursion to Bohemia." He said it was "just the place for high-thinking and low-living." The artists loved pageants, parades, and trips to nearby beaches. They also enjoyed canoeing, swimming, and other outdoor activities. Some artists loved Old Lyme so much that they moved there permanently or bought summer homes.
Gardens and Grounds: Explore Nature
The museum's 12-acre site has beautiful historic gardens. Staff and volunteers take care of them. You can find old-fashioned flowers, herbs, vegetables, and plants there. Behind the house, there were four different gardens. One was for herbs and vegetables like strawberries, lettuce, peas, corn, and potatoes. Another was for roses. And two gardens were for flowers, which Miss Florence also sold to earn money.
The Museum is part of Connecticut's Historic Gardens. This group celebrates the many different gardens at historic homes across Connecticut.
Robert F. Schumann Artists' Trail
In July 2019, the museum opened the Robert F. Schumann Artists' Trail. This trail has walking paths, pretty landscaping, and native plants around the historic site. There are four different walks: the river, hedgerow, woodland, and garden. They are about half a mile long. These trails help visitors understand why artists loved to paint en plein air in this area. Markers along the path show important historical spots. For example, you can see where Childe Hassam's studio was in the orchard.
Chadwick Studio: An Artist's Workspace
William Chadwick (1879-1962) was an American Impressionist artist. He was part of the Lyme Art Colony and lived in Old Lyme. From about 1920 until he passed away in 1962, the building now on the museum campus was his art studio. You can visit this studio from the first Saturday in April through December.
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