American Art · Historic Places

Miss Florence’s Painted Dining Room

Some of the paintings in the dining room at the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, CT. Photo by A Scholarly Skater. I recently visited the Florence Griswold Museum - the Connecticut boardinghouse where American Impressionists of the Old Lyme Art Colony stayed and worked during summers in the early-20th century. And I saw the… Continue reading Miss Florence’s Painted Dining Room

Architecture · Historic Places · Medieval Art and Architecture

I’ve Learned Not To Take Historic Treasures For Granted

As I'm sure all of you know by now, the Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris caught on fire yesterday and suffered extensive damage. Yesterday's events made me appreciate what a true miracle it is that any ancient treasures survive at all. But just because they've gotten this far doesn't mean that they will always be around.

Historic Places

Lyndhurst at Christmastime

Over the weekend, I visited Lyndhurst mansion to take the Christmas tour. Lyndhurst is a 19th-century Gothic Revival mansion in Tarrytown, New York. It was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892) and owned by three families, lastly that of railroad magnate Jay Gould (1836-1892). The house has all its original contents, including Tiffany stained glass windows and Gothic Revival furniture by Davis and by Herter Brothers.