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Side of a house with a painting on one wall

The Orrin Freeman House and the Spirit of ‘76

How did Higganum’s Orrin Freeman House end up with a large American Revolution-themed mural, the Spirit of ’76, on its side?

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Full body painting of a woman in colonial dress holding a firearm looking outside

Abigail Hinman: Heroine of the American Revolution or Legend?

Allegedly defending her house during the American Revolution in 1781, New London resident Abigail Hinman made a name for herself as a patriot legend.

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A man sitting at a piano and a woman standing, singing

Rosa Ponselle: Meriden’s Famous Musical Daughter

Rosa Ponselle etched her name in history as the first American-born and American-trained singer to star with the Metropolitan Opera Company.

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Engraving drawing of several buildings

John Warner Barber’s Engravings Chronicle Connecticut History

John Warner Barber chronicled 19th-century Connecticut history through his historical writing and hundreds of engravings—many of which still exist today.

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Portrait painting of a man from the chest up wearing a red shirt, light colored coat, a hat, and glasses

George Laurence Nelson: Artist of Kent’s Seven Hearths

In addition to his artistic pursuits, George Laurence Nelson lived in Kent, Connecticut, for over half a century and restored the historic Seven Hearths house.

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Photograph of a brown two story house with an attic and two chimneys. There is a white fence in front of the house

The Welcoming Warmth of Kent’s Seven Hearths

For over 272 years, Kent’s Seven Hearths has lived many lives—from trading post to school to artist’s home to historical society.

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Clare Boothe Luce Changed Perceptions about Women in Business and Politics

Clare Boothe Luce became the first woman to represent Connecticut in the US House of Representatives and later became an ambassador to Italy.

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Large ornate building

Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Captures the Gilded Age in Norwalk

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion provides a glimpse into the opulence of the Gilded Age when railroad tycoons built summer homes along the New England shoreline.

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Lyman Allyn Art Museum

The Lyman Allyn Opens – Today in History: March 2

On March 2, 1932, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum, founded by Harriet Upson Allyn in New London, had its grand opening.

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Gwen Reed, circa 1950's

Actress Gwen Reed Best Remembered for Dedication to Childhood Literacy

Gwen Reed was an actress and educational advocate who grew up in Hartford in the early 20th century.

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William Gillette’s Last Performance – Today in History: February 27

On February 27, 1936, William Gillette made his last appearance on any Connecticut stage at the Bushnell Memorial auditorium in Hartford.

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Discovering the Mysterious Identity of the “Kent Limner”

It took over a century to solve the mystery of Ammi Phillips’ identity—one of the most prolific folk portraitists in 19th century America.

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Detail of A Map of the Fortified Country of Man’s Heart

The Open and Fortified Country of the Human Heart: A Victorian Lady’s View of Love

A pair of 19th-century prints provides a virtual road map to the human heart, illustrating contemporary male and female attitudes towards courtship and love.

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Poster with a blue and red swirl

Alexander Calder and Making Art Political

In addition to his famous works of art, Alexander Calder lent his talents and reputation to support political campaigns in the 1960s and 70s.

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Charles Ethan Porter, Fruit: Apples, Grapes, Peaches, and Pears

Charles Ethan Porter, Portrait of a 19th-Century African American Painter

Charles Ethan Porter was a prolific still life painter in the 19th and early 20th century.

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Music Vale Seminary, Salem

Music Vale Seminary in Salem Credited as Being First in US

In the mid-19th century, Orramel Whittlesey founded a music conservatory in Salem, Connecticut.

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Timothy Dwight

Timothy Dwight Dies – Today in History: January 11

On January 11, 1817, Timothy Dwight (theologian, educator, poet, and eighth president of Yale) died in New Haven, Connecticut.

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Man sitting on a donkey in front of a fence

Yukitaka Osaki and Gillette Castle: One of Hadlyme’s First Japanese Immigrants

For over four decades, Japanese-born Yukitaka Osaki worked for Gillette, becoming a recognizable neighbor in the Hadlyme community.

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The Austin House

Hartford’s “Façade House”: The Unique Home of Chick Austin

December 16, 2022 • Architecture, Arts, Hartford

A. Everett “Chick” Austin Jr. and his wife, Helen, designed one of the most unique homes of the 20th century in Hartford.

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Wadsworth Atheneum, Morgan Memorial, and Municipal Building, Main Street, Hartford

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

November 9, 2022 • Ithiel Town, Architecture, Arts, Hartford

Founded in 1842, this ever-evolving institution is the oldest, continuously operating public art museum in the United States.

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Native American Musical Instrument - Connecticut Historical Society

Connecticut Native American Arts

November 1, 2022 • Arts, Native Americans, Montville

The remarkable resilience of Connecticut’s native cultures can be seen in the tribes’ social networks, political governance, commitment to educating others about native history, and their ongoing work to sustain their traditions.

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John Frederick Kensett, Twilight in the Cedars at Darien, Connecticut

John Frederick Kensett Illuminates the 19th-Century Landscape

John Frederick Kensett was a landscape painter now identified with Luminism—a style of painting utilizing delicate brushstrokes to capture subtle natural light.

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Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam

[Archived] Goodspeed Opera House Opens – Today in History: October 24

On October 24, 1877, the Goodspeed Opera House on the Connecticut River in East Haddam officially opened to the public.

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Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam

Goodspeed Opera House Opens – Today in History: October 24

On October 24, 1877, the Goodspeed Opera House on the Connecticut River in East Haddam officially opened to the public.

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Black and white photograph of a woman painting a man

Laura Wheeler Waring: Renowned African American Portrait Artist and Educator

Born in Hartford, Laura Wheeler Waring was an eminent portrait artist of prominent African Americans of the Harlem Renaissance.

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A Metal Giant in Wilton

August 14, 2022 • Arts, Business and Industry, Work, Wilton

Kenneth Lynch was an accomplished blacksmith who was a longtime resident of Wilton and created memorable pieces of metalwork found in the Northeast.

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Florence Griswold’s Home: A Story of Perseverance and Community

The Florence Griswold House, once a private residence, also served as a finishing school for girls in the 19th century and the center of the Lyme Art Colony.

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Dr. Daniel Sheldon of Litchfield, painted by Dickinson in 1831

Anson Dickinson: Milton’s Painter of Portrait Miniatures

July 31, 2022 • Featured Town/Topic, Arts, Litchfield

In the 1800s, watercolor portraits painted on small pieces of ivory were in vogue and miniaturists like Dickinson found a ready market for their craft.

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Nelson Augustus Moore painting outdoors

A Photographer with a Painter’s Eye: The Story of Nelson Augustus Moore

July 21, 2022 • Berlin, Arts

Kensington-born Moore took “on the spot” photographs that documented life and events during the 1850s and 1860s.

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Killingworth’s Automated Attraction – Who Knew?

In the 1890s Clark Coe created an attraction of life-sized moving figures called the Killingworth Images on his farm on Green Hill Road.

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Impressionist painting of shaded trees next to a pond

Julian Alden Weir: The “Heart” of American Impressionism

From Windham to Branchville, peaceful Connecticut locales provided Julian Alden Weir the inspiration to create hundreds of paintings and become one of America’s leading Impressionists.

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Rock and Roll vs. Racism

The State Theater in Hartford brought residents of all different backgrounds together in the 1950s and ’60s through the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.

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Goshen Congregational Church

Pan-Harmonicum Strikes a New Note for Puritan Worship in Lebanon

June 12, 2022 • Arts, Belief, Lebanon

Musical instruments, once scorned as ungodly, found a place in Congregational services at the turn of the 19th century.

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Breaking the Mold: Tradition and Innovation in the Work of Elbert Weinberg

Elbert Weinberg was a Hartford-born sculptor who earned international fame for his works, many of which were influenced by his Jewish faith.

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Wallace Nutting, The Shadow of the Blossoms

Past Perfect: Wallace Nutting Invents an Ideal Olde New England

In the early 1900s consumers bought photographs, furniture, and books from a former minister who sold the fantasy of simpler times as an antidote to modern life.

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Sophie Tucker - World-Telegram photo by Dick DeMarsico

Sophie Tucker, The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas

Hartford’s own leading lady was a lively entertainer whose career spanned over five decades and whose generosity spilled over to various and numerous charities.

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Walnut Grove, Hammond Estate, Waterford

“Gentleman’s Farming” Comes to Waterford

Walnut Grove received a listing on the National Register of Historic Places for its contribution to furthering the understanding of nearly 200 years of history.

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Hervey Brooks's pottery wheel

Hervey Brooks’s 19th-Century Pottery Barn

Hervey Brooks was an American potter and farmer who made red earthenware domestic products in Goshen for more than half a century.

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photo of Dave Brubeck, jazz musician

“Take Five” with Dave Brubeck

Dave Brubeck was one of the leading jazz pianists and composers of the 1950s and 60s and made his home in Wilton.

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Woman sitting in a small boat on a body of water with a fishing pole in her hand.

Edith Watson: Camera Artist

Over the five decades Edith Watson traveled around North America, her keen eye and box camera lens captured the otherwise untold stories of women.

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Frances Laughlin Wadsworth: Sculpting the Past

April 24, 2022 • Thomas Hooker, Arts, Hartford, Women

Her statues honor the famous, from Thomas Hooker and Helen Keller to Alice Cogswell, the first pupil of what became The American School for the Deaf.

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Connecticut Shore, Winter by John Henry Twachtman

Connecticut and American Impressionism

American Impressionists looked to a New England countryside like that in Connecticut for evidence of a stable, timeless order beneath the dazzle of the ephemeral.

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Marian Anderson with (on left) Governor Chester Bowles and W.C. Handy

[Archived] Marian Anderson’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Marian Anderson performed and traveled in segregated spaces and emerged as one of the great singers of the 20th century.

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Marian Anderson with (on left) Governor Chester Bowles and W.C. Handy

Marian Anderson’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Marian Anderson performed and traveled in segregated spaces and emerged as one of the great singers of the 20th century.

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Self portrait Samuel Waldo Lovett

Samuel Waldo Born – Today in History: April 6

Samuel Lovett Waldo was an early 19th-century portrait artist who worked among such famous colleagues as John Trumbull, Benjamin West, and John Singleton Copley.

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Lebanon Grange Hall

The Lebanon Grange Followed a Different Tune than National Movement

April 3, 2022 • Agriculture, Arts, Everyday Life, Lebanon

Music played a central role in fraternal rituals and sense of community.

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Pastoral Picture by Faith Trumbull

Faith Trumbull: The Artist Was a Young Girl

Her younger brother may be the better-known artist today, but it was her accomplished needlework pictures that inspired his youthful imagination.

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Marietta Canty

Marietta Canty House

Hartford’s Marietta Canty House is primarily significant for its association with actress Marietta Canty, who received critical acclaim for her performances in theater, radio, motion pictures, and television as well as for her political and social activities.

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"Four Saints in Three Acts," an opera by Gertrude Stein

Four Saints in Three Acts Debuts – Today in History: February 7

On February 7, 1934, the Wadsworth Atheneum debuted the modernist opera Four Saints in Three Acts in its new Avery Memorial Theater.

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Souvenir Book of the Hippodrome to show the connection to theater world

Hartford’s Charles Dillingham Discovered Broadway Stars

After growing up in Hartford, Charles Dillingham explored numerous career paths including newspaper publishing, politics, and—most famously—theatrical managing and producing.

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Mambo for Cats by Jim Flora

Jim Flora Captures 20th-Century Pop Culture

From jazz album covers to magazines and children’s books, Rowayton artist Jim Flora created works that helped document life in 20th-century America.

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“Tom Thumb” Born – Today in History: January 4

Charles Stratton, born in Bridgeport on January 4, 1838, toured the world with P. T. Barnum under the name, General Tom Thumb.

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There’s No Place Like Home for the Designer of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers – Who Knew?

December 27, 2021 • Arts, Popular Culture, Naugatuck, Who Knew?

Connecticut-born Adrian, the American clothing designer who found success in Hollywood, designed Dorothy’s ruby slippers for The Wizard of Oz.

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Chief G’tinemong/Ralph W. Sturges

This Mohegan Chief is remembered for successfully guiding the Tribe through the final stages of Federal Recognition, which it obtained in 1994.

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Photo of Jim Henson, creator, The Muppets (1979)

Jim Henson, the Muppets, and Greenwich

Between 1964 and 1971, the famous puppeteer and creator of Sesame Street, Jim Henson, lived in Greenwich and created many of his most recognizable characters.

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Chick Austin as the magician, The Great Osram, in 1944

Chick Austin Modernizes a Connecticut Institution

December 18, 2021 • Arts, Popular Culture, Hartford

Arthur Everett “Chick” Austin Jr., director of the Wadsworth Atheneum from 1927 to 1944, put Hartford on the cultural map.

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Thomas Nason, The Leaning Silo

Thomas W. Nason, the Poet Engraver of New England

December 11, 2021 • Arts, Lyme

An artist best known for his wood engravings that accompany Robert Frost poems, Nason blended classic and modern styles to capture a vanishing rural landscape.

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Drawing (on) the Connecticut Landscape: Benjamin Hutchins Coe Teaches Americans the Democratic Art

November 5, 2021 • Arts, Hartford, Middlefield

Benjamin Hutchins Coe helped teach Americans how to draw through the publication of numerous art manuals, many focused on Connecticut-inspired landscapes.

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The Caribbean American Society float in the West Indian Parade

West Indians in Hartford

October 27, 2021 • Arts, Everyday Life, Immigration, Hartford

A significant wave of immigration to the United States from the West Indies began in the 1940s, spurred by labor shortages during World War II.

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Trumbull Gallery

Yale University Art Gallery – Today in History: October 25

October 25, 2021 • John Trumbull, Architecture, Arts, New Haven

Also known as the Picture Gallery, the Trumbull Gallery holds the distinction of being the first art museum at an educational institution in the United States.

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Anna Hyatt Huntington

A Celebrated Artist and a Meaningful Space – Today in History: October 20

October 20, 2021 • Danbury, Arts

The Danbury Museum & Historical Society’s Huntington Hall honors the memory of a famed US sculptor, Anna Hyatt Huntington.

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A Revolutionary Book Designer: Bruce Rogers of New Fairfield

October 19, 2021 • Arts, Belief, Literature, Work, New Fairfield

Bruce Rogers was a book designer who settled in New Fairfield. Considered one of the great typographers of his time, his masterpiece was the 1936 Oxford Lectern Bible.

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Alexander Calder at Stegosaurus sculpture dedication

Calder’s Stegosaurus Dedicated – Today in History: October 10

October 10, 2021 • Arts, Hartford

On October 10, 1973, Alexander Calder’s sculpture, Stegosaurus, was dedicated in Hartford.

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Pulling Down the Statue of King George II, New York City

Mariann Wolcott and Ralph Earl – Opposites Come Together and Make History

The story of Mariann Wolcott and Ralph Earl captures much of the complexity the Revolutionary War brought to the lives and interactions of ordinary citizens.

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A black-and-white photograph of a sculpture in progress, depicting a seated figure deep in thought. The sculpture is placed on a pedestal and is positioned in an artist's studio with tools and artwork in the background. The subject appears to be a worker or craftsman, seated with one leg off to the side, resting their chin on their hand."

Evelyn Beatrice Longman Commemorates the Working Class

September 27, 2021 • Hide Featured Image, Arts, Hartford, Women, Work, Windsor

“Industry,” also known as “The Craftsman,” by Evelyn Longman, resides in Hartford and is a celebration of the working class and their contribution to society.

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Art Young, Radical Cartoonist

September 19, 2021 • Bethel, Arts, Popular Culture, Social Movements

One of the more controversial cartoonists of the early 20th century, Art Young lived much of his life in Bethel. Residents later founded the Art Young Gallery in his memory.

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Needlework by Prudence Punderson

Prudence Punderson, Ordinary Woman, Extraordinary Artist: Needlework in Connecticut

September 16, 2021 • Arts, Revolutionary War, Women, Preston

Completed in the 1700s, “The First, Second and Last Scene of Mortality” is considered to be one of the most spectacular pieces of needlework in US history.

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Martha Graham, Connecticut College, and the American Dance Festival

September 1, 2021 • Arts, Women, New London

Martha Hill established the School of the Dance on the campus of the Connecticut College for Women in 1948, and hired such renowned instructors as Martha Graham.

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Ralph Earl, A View of the Town of Concord etched by Amos Doolittle

Ralph Earl: Portrait of an Early American Artist

In addition to some of the earliest Revolutionary War battle scenes, Ralph Earl painted prominent figures of the colonial period.

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Hope on the Wall: Connecticut’s New Deal Post Office Murals

Between 1934 and 1943, the federal government placed murals in twenty-three Connecticut post offices.

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Dressing Table. Probably made in 1783 by the shop of Eliphalet Chapin

Connecticut Valley Style: Eliphalet Chapin Inspires a Tradition of Craft

Favoring local cherry and pine woods, this furniture maker introduced Philadelphia-style flair to New England consumers.

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Herbert Abrams Self Portrait

Herbert Abrams Immortalizes the Nation’s Leaders

Herbert Abrams was an American painter whose portraits hang in some of the most prestigious institutions in the country.

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Alexander Calder at Stegosaurus sculpture dedication

A World in Motion: Artist and Sculptor Alexander Calder

Most renowned for his invention of the mobile, an abstract sculpture that moves, Calder is considered a pioneer of kinetic art.

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Batman and the Outsiders #1, cover art by Jim Aparo

Drawn to Superheroes

Working as an illustrator at DC Comics for over 30 years, Aparo drew for such legendary series as Aquaman, The Brave and the Bold, Green Arrow, and The Spectre.

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Winter: Connecticut Valley by Dwight William Tryon

An Artist’s Life in Hartford: The Early Career of Dwight Tryon

Hartford native Dwight Tryon enjoyed a long, successful career as a landscape painter and teacher with studios in New York City and Massachusetts.

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Stevan Dohanos

Stevan Dohanos Captures Connecticut Life

June 27, 2021 • Arts, Popular Culture, Westport

Westport resident Stevan Dohanos was one of America’s top realist illustrators, producing more than 125 popular magazine covers, and over 300 designs for commemorative postage stamps.

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North Haven: Fabricating Sculpture in the 1960s and 1970s

Lippincott, Inc., in North Haven, was one of the most highly respected fine-arts metal fabricators in the country in the second half of the 20th century.

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The Ivoryton Playhouse

Ivoryton Playhouse Opens – Today in History: June 17

June 17, 2021 • Arts, Essex

On June 17, 1930, the Ivoryton Playhouse opened with a production of the play Broken Dishes, which had just closed in New York.

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Capitol, Hartford, Connecticut

The State Cantata – Today in History: June 3

On June 3, 2003, the Connecticut General Assembly designated The Nutmeg, Homeland of Liberty by Dr. Stanley L. Ralph as the State Cantata.

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Carter’s Inn sign

Tavern Signs Mark Changes in Travel, Innkeeping, and Artistic Practice

June 1, 2021 • Arts, Everyday Life, Food and Drink

In colonial times, tavern signs beckoned weary travelers to places of rest and entertainment, but by the early 1900s collectors prized them as folk art and relics of a bygone era.

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The Minute Man, Westport CT

On the morning of June 17, 1910, over a thousand Connecticut residents descended upon Westport for a patriotic, event-filled unveiling of The Minute Man monument.

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Home of Charles Dudley Warner. Hartford, Conn.

Charles Dudley Warner: 19th Century Writer and Social Commentator

Author Charles Dudley Warner penned significant volumes of work, leaving an impact through his enduring social commentary in the second half of the 19th century.

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Hooker and Company Journeying through the Wilderness from Plymouth to Hartford

Artist Frederic Church Born – Today in History: May 4

May 4, 2021 • Arts, Hartford

On May 4, 1826, the great American landscape painter Frederic Edwin Church was born to a wealthy Hartford family.

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Lucy Gallup Eldredge

A Connecticut Painter Finds His Voice through Colonial Folk Art

May 1, 2021 • Arts, Hampton

John Brewster Jr. was one of the preeminent portrait artists of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

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Portrait of Eugene O'Neill and Carlotta Monterey O'Neill

Eugene O’Neill’s Connecticut Connections

Playwright Eugene O’Neill drew inspiration for much of his work from his childhood hometown of New London.

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Carl Sandburg, Poet from the Grassroots, Reaches Connecticut Audiences

Popular poet, singer, and activist Carl Sandburg had numerous connections to Connecticut and promoted social reform in the early 20th century.

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An Artist and Her Books: Amelia Watson, 1856–1934

March 22, 2021 • East Windsor, Arts, Literature, Women

Connecticut artist Amelia Watson’s works adorn some of the most elaborately designed and treasured volumes of the 19th and 20th century.

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St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland

The Wearing of the Green: 19th-century Prints of Irish Subjects by Hartford’s Kellogg Brothers

Irish immigrants arrived in Connecticut in great numbers during the 1800s and, while anti-Irish sentiment was widespread, Hartford’s Kellogg brothers viewed these new Americans as potential customers.

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Holmes at Home: The Life of William Gillette

William Gillette was an American actor, playwright, and stage director most famous for his stage portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and for the stone castle he built in East Haddam.

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Fredi Washington and her sister Isabel, 1930s

Remembering Fredi Washington: Actress, Activist, and Journalist

February 22, 2021 • Arts, Popular Culture, Women

This actress earned acclaim for her portrayal of an African American woman who chooses to pass as white in order to escape racial discrimination but, in real life, she embraced her heritage and worked to end inequality.

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Ernest Borgnine: Breaking the Hollywood Mold

Ernest Borgnine, a native of Hamden who served ten years in navy, became one of the world’s most recognized and revered actors.

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Umbrella Elms in Connecticut Meadow by Aaron Draper Shattuck

Connecticut Transforms Aaron Draper Shattuck

Drawn to the landscapes of the Farmington River Valley, artist Aaron Draper Shattuck reinvented himself as a gentleman farmer and inventor.

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Ellis Ruley: Art that Celebrated Life

January 5, 2021 • Arts, Norwich

Ellis Ruley, the son of a slave who escaped to Norwich, rose to prominence as an artist, but prosperity and racial tensions created resentment among members of the local population.

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The Great Remedy. Hand-colored lithograph by E.B. & E.C. Kellogg

The Great Remedy: Picturing the Emancipation Proclamation

On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, declaring more than three million African Americans in those states in rebellion against the United States to be forever free.

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The Hartford Convention or Leap no leap

The Hartford Convention or Leap no Leap

December 15, 2020 • Arts, Politics and Government, War of 1812

A political cartoon lampoons radical members of New England’s Federalist party by poking fun at their motivations for gathering in Hartford to end the War of 1812.

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Leroy Anderson at home in the 1950s

Leroy Anderson Composed Iconic Music in Woodbury

Leroy Anderson, a long-time resident of Woodbury, was one of the most popular composers of light concert music in the 20th century.

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Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, December 1947

The Atheneum Joins War Effort – Who Knew?

December 8, 2020 • Arts, Hartford, World War II, Who Knew?

The Wadsworth Atheneum contributed to home front morale and fundraisers during World War II.

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Alexander Calder in studio, Roxbury, 1973

Calder in Connecticut: World-Famous Artist Called Roxbury Home

November 11, 2020 • Arts, Roxbury

His mobiles, stabiles, and constellations are featured in museum collections around the world.

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American Actor Changes 19th-Century Theater – Who Knew?

October 27, 2020 • William Gillette, Arts, Popular Culture

Hartford-born William Gillette, known best for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in film and theater, was also a successful playwright.

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Westport Country Playhouse

Broadway Comes to Westport

The Westport Country Playhouse is meant to provide artists, students, and entertainers with a place to create and produce live theater experiences away from traditional big city theater districts.

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Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library. "Take a giant step." New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Hartford’s Louis Peterson, Groundbreaking African American Playwright

Hartford’s Louis Peterson was a groundbreaking African American playwright in the 20th century.

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Martha Graham Dance Company, 1937 - The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley Library Digital Collections

Hartford’s Anna Sokolow, Modern Dance Pioneer

Hartford’s Anna Sokolow became one of the most important figures in modern dance during the 20th century.

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Combat between the Frigate Constitution and the British Frigate Guerriere

A Patriotic Legacy in Print

September 10, 2020 • Arts, War and Defense, War of 1812

Two hundred years ago, on September 10, 1813, the US captured six vessels from the British Royal Navy, the most powerful maritime force in the world.

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Sol Lewitt, Certificate of Ownership and Diagram Wall Drawing #614

Painter, Muralist, Sculptor Sol LeWitt born – Today in History: September 9

September 9, 2020 • Chester, Arts, Hartford

Sol LeWitt, whose work includes drawings and sculptures, is identified with the late 20th century Minimalist and Conceptual art movements.

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Roger Tory Peterson

Roger Tory Peterson Dies – Today in History: July 28

July 28, 2020 • Arts, Science, Old Lyme

On July 28, 1996, ornithologist and artist Roger Tory Peterson died in Old Lyme.

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Julian Alden Weir, The Farm, etching

Weir Farm the Result of a Trade – Who Knew?

Weir Farm, located in Ridgefield and Wilton, Connecticut, resulted from the trade of a painting and ten dollars.

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Colt Park and the Magical Summer of 1976

In the summer of 1976, Colt Park offered rock and roll fans an escape from troubled times through a series of concerts by some legendary acts.

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The Origins and Enduring Legacy of New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre

As a smaller, quieter alternative to Broadway, New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre overcame an unconventional location to become a smash success.

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Group photo of Famous Artists School Faculty

Instruction by Mail: The Famous Artists School

The Famous Artists School in Westport once provided the premier correspondence training for those interested in an art career.

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Early Civil Rights and Cultural Pioneers: The Easton Family

June 21, 2020 • Arts, Belief, Social Movements, Hartford

For a variety of reasons, the Eastons were one of New England’s most notable 19th-century African American families.

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The Hartford Insurance Investigator With the Action-Packed Expense Account

Based in Hartford, “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” was one of America’s most popular radio shows during the 15 years it aired.

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A 1908 reenactment of Thomas Hooker’s 1636 landing in Hartford

Colonial Revival Movement Sought Stability during Time of Change

The Colonial Revival was national in its scope, but as a state rich in historic resources, Connecticut became inextricably linked with the movement.

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A plan of the first Society in Lebanon

Exploring Early Connecticut Mapmaking

Renderings of the terrain served a variety of purposes, from supporting colonists’ land claims as well as tribal counterclaims to settling religious disputes and even adorning the homes of the well-off.

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Katharine Hepburn’s Love Affair (with Connecticut)

One of the most popular actresses of the 20th century, Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford and lived much of her later life in Old Saybrook.

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Somoff Cottage

A Russian Village Retreat in Southbury

The unique blend of American and Russian architecture found in Churaevka, along with the important part the village played in defining early 20th-century Russian immigration, earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

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John Rogers, Checkers up at the Farm,1875, painted plaster

John Rogers was a 19th-Century Sculptor for the Common Man

April 23, 2020 • Arts, Civil War, New Canaan

John Rogers was an American sculptor whose style and production methods made his art popular with middle-class art collectors in the 19th century.

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Ralph Earl, The Battle of Lexington, April 19th, 1775 etched by Amos Doolittle

News From Lexington: Contemporary Views of the Opening Battles of the American Revolution

A rare set of prints by New Haven printer Amos Doolittle depicts the momentous events of April 19, 1775.

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Bridgeport’s Walt Kelly, Creator of Pogo

April 11, 2020 • Bridgeport, Darien, Arts, Popular Culture

Bridgeport resident Walt Kelly was the creator of Pogo, a wildly popular comic strip during the middle of the 20th century.

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Video – Sophie Tucker Tribute Film

The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to celebrated singer and actress, and long-time Hartford resident, Sophie Tucker.

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James Abbott McNeil Whistler’s Life in Pomfret

As one of the most well-known American realist painters of the late 19th century, James Abbot McNeil Whistler has intrigued art history enthusiasts for over a century.

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Rex Brasher, Tree Sparrow and Western Tree Sparrow

Rex Brasher Dies – Today in History: February 29

February 29, 2020 • Arts, Kent

On February 29, 1960, noted wildlife illustrator Rex Brasher died.

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Paul Robeson by Gordon Parks, 1942

“Negroes Who Stand Up and Fight Back” – Paul Robeson in Hartford

November 15, 2019 • Arts, Enfield, Social Movements, Hartford, Work

Called the “greatest mobilization of police in the city’s history,” the event that brought law enforcement out in force to Keney Park was not a riot, not a strike, but a concert by this singer-actor and activist.

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Charles De Wolf Brownell, Charter Oak

The Legend of the Charter Oak

This Charles D. Brownell painting from the mid-1850s epitomizes the importance that the Charter Oak tree held in the hearts and minds of Connecticut citizens.

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Hardcore Connecticut: Documenting the State’s Punk Rock Scene

Hardcore punk rockers occupied venue spaces, spectators became performers, pools became skate parks, and Xerox machines became the printing press in this underground renaissance.

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Sarah Bernhardt

Sarah Bernhardt Performs in Hartford – Today in History: June 8

June 8, 2019 • Arts, Hartford

On June 8, 1906, French stage and film actress Sarah Bernhardt appeared at Foot Guard Hall in Hartford.

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Sarah Trumbull with a Spaniel by John Trumbull

American Painter John Trumbull Born – Today in History: June 6

On June 6, 1756, John Trumbull, painter, architect, and author, was born in Lebanon.

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Artist Louis Paul Dessar Dies – Today in History: February 14

On February 14, 1952, American artist Louis Paul Dessar died in Preston, Connecticut.

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Video – Unsung Heroes: The Music of Jazz in New Haven

This documentary clip showcases the heritage of New Haven’s jazz community, weaving the personal narrative of musicians and their families within the context of the city’s social and political history.

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Video – Dotha Bushnell Hillyer Tribute Film

The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to philanthropist Dotha Bushnell Hillyer, patron of a living memorial to her father, the Reverend Horace Bushnell.

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Video – Florence Griswold Tribute Film

The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Florence Griswold, an Old Lyme native who fostered the impressionist art movement in Connecticut.

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Henry Austin, Grove Street Cemetery Entrance, 1845, New Haven

An Overview of Connecticut’s Outdoor Sculpture

June 19, 2016 • Arts

Public sculpture has punctuated the state for three centuries, reflecting the values of our communities, their times, and their funders.

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Defenders of the Flag Monument, Soldiers Monument, Plainville

A Special Place to Honor Military Veterans in Plainville

On the corner of Maple and Whiting Streets in Plainville, Connecticut, is a special place where the town honors its war veterans.

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Video – Rudolph Zallinger’s Masterpiece, “The Age of Reptiles”

The Yale Peabody Museum is home to one of the world’s largest murals, which illustrates changes in the earth’s flora and fauna between the Devonian and Cretaceous periods.

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Detail of a Bed curtain hand stitched with crewel, or two ply-worsted wool, on a plain-weave linen ground.

The Decorative Arts of Connecticut

April 3, 2015 • Eli Terry, Arts, Everyday Life

Decorative Arts—or, household furnishings— reveal past lifestyles and showcase the state’s best-known craftspeople.

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The Old Brownstone Soldier

Charles Conrads, a German immigrant and George Batterson’s lead sculptor, helped design the initial shape of the Forlorn Soldier.

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Norfolk—Alive With The Sound of Summer Music

May 14, 2014 • Arts, Education, Norfolk

Norfolk began hosting the Yale Summer School of Music and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival back in 1941.

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Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum

Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum Est. 1842

February 1, 2014 • Imagining Connecticut, Arts, Hartford

Art and culture have always played an important role in Connecticut’s long and diverse history.

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View in Batterson, Canfield & Co.'s Monumental Works

James G. Batterson, Stone Contractor

James G. Batterson was an artist, inventor, and businessman. He helped commemorate the Civil War through his proficiency with stone.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Litchfield Historical Society

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

June 25, 2013 • Hide Featured Image, Arts, Hartford

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Phelps-Hatheway House and Garden

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Bush-Holley House

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Jens Risom and a selection of his furniture

The Answer Is Risom!

How the Scandinavian design movement re-fashioned local industry in the mill town of Thompson during the 1960s and ’70s.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Florence Griswold Museum

March 7, 2013 • Hide Featured Image, Arts, Old Lyme

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Slater Memorial Museum

January 14, 2013 • Hide Featured Image, Arts, Norwich

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: New Britian Museum of American Art

November 19, 2012 • Hide Featured Image, Arts, New Britain

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: Mattatuck Museum

Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.

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Roger Tory Peterson, European starlings

Artist Roger Tory Peterson, a Champion for the Natural World

September 2, 2012 • Arts, Environment, Science, Old Lyme

Artist, author, and influential conservationist Roger Tory Peterson pioneered the modern age of bird watching with his 1934 book, A Field Guide to the Birds.

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Preserving an All-American Downtown in Torrington

Torrington’s unique and historically significant buildings are the foundation on which local businesses and civic leaders built a revitalized economy.

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Gershom Bartlett, Winged Face

The Art of Life and Death in Colonial Bolton

July 21, 2012 • Bolton, Arts, Belief, Everyday Life

Bartlett was the first gravestone carver in the upper Connecticut River Valley, and his headstones tell historians much about early life in the northeastern colonies.

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