Lyman Allyn Art Museum facts for kids
The museum's facade in 2015
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| Established | 1926 |
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| Location | 625 Williams Street New London, Connecticut, United States |
| Type | Art museum |
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is a cool place to explore art in New London, Connecticut. It was started in 1926 by Harriet Upson Allyn, who wanted to honor her dad, Lyman Allyn. This museum has lots of different art, like pieces from Europe and other parts of the world. You can also see American paintings, old drawings, and modern art. They even have fun programs to help you learn about art!
On the museum's grounds, there's an old house called the Deshon-Allyn House. It was built way back in 1829 and is a great example of the Federal style of architecture. Lyman Allyn bought this house, and his family lived there for a long time. It's even listed as a special historic place!
History of the Museum
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum was created because of a special gift from Harriet Upson Allyn. She passed away on November 30, 1926. Harriet wanted to remember her father, Lyman Allyn, who was a very successful shipping merchant. She left money to build a new park and museum. Her goal was to create a place where people in the area could learn about art and culture.
The land for the museum was bought in 1927. A talented landscape architect named Ferruccio Vitale designed the park around the museum. The museum building itself was designed by architect Charles A. Platt. It's a large building, about 32,000 square feet, built with local granite. Its style is called neoclassical, which means it looks like old Greek and Roman buildings.
In May 1930, Winslow Ames became the museum's first Director when he was only 22 years old. The museum officially opened on May 2, 1932. The Governor of Connecticut, Wilbur Lucius Cross, was the main speaker at the opening event. The very next day, the museum welcomed its first visitors!
Exploring the Art Collection
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum has a huge collection of art, with about 10,000 different items! Much of this amazing collection was put together by the museum's first Director, Winslow Ames. He collected art from the 1500s all the way to the 1800s.
You can see a special drawing called Study for Madame Moitessier standing by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. There are also works by famous artists like Frederic Leighton, François Boucher, Nicolas Poussin, Claude Lorrain, Charles LeBrun, and Tiepolo. American artists featured include Rembrandt Peale, Benjamin West, Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull, Thomas Cole, Frederick Edwin Church, and Albert Bierstadt.
American Art Highlights
The museum's collection of 19th-century American paintings is really interesting. It includes art from different styles like the Hudson River School, the Aesthetic Movement, and Impressionism. For example, you can see Thomas Cole’s Mount Aetna from Taormina (painted in 1844). There's also Frederic Edwin Church’s Study for New England Scenery (1850). Another cool piece is John F. Kensett’s oval painting, Bash Bish Falls (1851). These are all great examples of the Hudson River School style.
You can also find Winslow Homer’s tile painting, The Shepherdess (1878). This shows his work with a group called the Tile Club. These American artworks are often borrowed by other museums for special exhibitions. They are also used in books and articles about art history.
The museum also has a collection of American paintings, drawings, and decorative arts from the 1700s. This includes beautiful silver items and furniture. A very important part of this collection is John Singleton Copley’s three studies for The Siege of Gibraltar (around 1785-86). There are also two works by Benjamin West. You can see Winthrop Chandler’s portrait of Eunice Huntington Devotion and Her Daughter (1772).
The museum also has a collection of 18th-century furniture from New England. Many pieces show the unique styles from New London County, Connecticut. This local furniture has been the focus of several special exhibitions at the Lyman Allyn. The front of the museum building has three cool sculptures called bas relief medallions. These were made by American sculptor Joseph Kiselewski in 1930.
