The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, preserves the former boardinghouse that became the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony, a major force in American Impressionism. Built in 1817, the house welcomed painters from New York and Boston, including Henry Ward Ranger, Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalf, and Edward Charles Volkert. Its most distinctive feature is a surviving group of painted wall and door panels created by resident artists, especially in the dining room. The museum now combines restored historic interiors, Connecticut-related art collections, galleries, gardens, trails, and a surviving artist’s studio, keeping the colony’s history closely tied to its original landscape.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain