I was at The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut on Friday. I attended their lovely Holiday Tea, which was festive and a sweet time of quiet conversation at the beginning of this month of festive happenings. This photograph that I took was one of my favorite things about the house.
Of course the way to communicate with others in the past was by handwritten correspondence. I am very interested in this as I am an avid handwritten letter writer myself. I have always written letters. When I was a young girl - I had pen pals from around the globe. I have written to a wide variety of people over the years and I consider this a sacred practice in my life. This is something that I find great meaning in and love to explore others letter writing practices. Learning about well-known artists and their art along with their letter written correspondence is fascinating to delve into. This is something that we can all be a part of today. Taking up the fine art of letter writing will bring you a satisfaction that is deep and enriching.
More About The Lyme Art Colony
The Lyme Art Colony was a thriving artists retreat community. During the first two decades of the 20th century, the village of Old Lyme, Connecticut was the setting for one of the largest and most significant art colonies in America.
Centered in the boardinghouse of Miss Florence Griswold, the colony attracted many leading artists – Henry Ward Ranger, Childe Hassam, and Willard Metcalf among them – who were in the vanguard of the Tonalist and Impressionist movements. Drawn to Old Lyme by its natural beauty, they discovered an “old” New England setting that was, as one observer noted, “expressive of the quiet dignity of other days.”
Here was a country retreat for artists where, in Metcalf’s words, “every day is so in line with work.” Interacting with each other and with the community, the more than 200 artists of the colony produced an impressive body of work, which achieved renown in its day and still calls attention to the enduring qualities of the rural New England setting.
Letters From The Archives
P.S.: Letters from the Lyme Art Colony
To complement the Smithsonian’s collection, a selection of handwritten letters from the Museum’s Archives augment the exhibition. During the heyday of the Lyme Art Colony, letter writing was an important tool used by Florence Griswold and visiting artists to communicate and confirm their travel plans. Once artists arrived at the Griswold boardinghouse, corresponding by mail was an important part of colony life—when artists wrote to family back home as well as to art world contacts. In these letters, handwriting can conjure mood, time, and place and offer insight into the person behind the pen. A selection of paintings from the Florence Griswold Museum’s collection will hang alongside artists’ letters.
A catalogue featuring brief reflections from art historians, curators, and artists accompanies the exhibition, providing insight into the unique form and content of each letter. Pen to Paper: Artists’ Handwritten Letters from the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2016) features 56 handwritten letters from the Archives of American Art. Edited with an introduction by Mary Savig, curator of manuscripts at the Archives of American Art.
Write A Letter shares more about this exhibit here as well as the accompanying book that goes with the exhibit.
Florence Griswold
I truly miss writing letters. Like you, I had penpals all over the world. Many were from the USSR and when it dissolved I lost track of them.
What a fantastic way to explore the museum, and the holiday tea sounds lovely.