The Florence Griswold Museum (aka the “FloGris”) is a museum complex that commemorates an important chapter in the development of American art. The centerpiece of the Old Lyme artists' colony in the late 19th century and early 20th century, it attracted avant garde artists who came there to develop their art and to exchange ideas. In addition to the historic house, the site includes a gallery with rotating exhibitions, scenic gardens and beautiful countryside.


The property on which the museum stands was once the home of a Robert Griswold, a prosperous sea captain, and his family. By the late 1890s, the captain, his wife and all but two of their children had passed away and the family home, a late Georgian style mansion, passed to the captain's un-married daughter Florence Griswold.


Due to the Civil War and the growth of steam ships, the Griswold's fortune had declined. Since Miss Florence did not have much in the way of resources, she decided to turn the mansion into a girls school. This did not work out so she then decided to open the house to boarders. One day in 1899, Henry Ward Ranger, an American artist, took lodgings at Florence's house.


At that time, the work of the French Impressionists and other avant garde artists in Europe was having a significant influence on forward thinking artists in the United States. These American artists wanted to paint en plein air like their European counterparts and so there became interest in finding scenic locations outside of the major cities where artists could work. Inasmuch as most of these artists had little income, the cost was also a consideration.


Located midway between New York City and Boston, the still-undeveloped areas of the Connecticut coast along Long Island Sound was a natural choice for artists living in those cultural centers. Consequently, as word spred of the boarding house in Old Lyme that Henry Ward Ranger had discovered, more and more artists began to board with Miss Florence.


The artists did not merely sleep there, they used it as a base for working expeditions out into the rural countryside. Some artists built temporary studios on the grounds. They also exchanged ideas and debated whether Impressionism or Tonalism was superior. In the evenings, they would socialize and party. Miss Florence interacted with and encouraged the artists' work.


To assist the tireless Miss Florence, the artists would help with the house and property. This included painting scenes on door panels and on the walls of the dining room.


Accomplished artists such as Childe Hassam became part of the artists colony. The colony received press coverage. Notables such as President Woodrow Wilson dined with Miss Florence and her artists.


Miss Florence passed away in 1937. Local artists and art lovers undertook a campaign to preserve the house and property. In 1941, the house and property were purchased by the Florence Griswold Association.


The Museum opened in 1941. Over the years, the Museum collected works by the artists who had lived and worked as part of the Old Lyme Colony. In 2001, this collection was broadened and expanded by the donnation of nearly 200 works from the collection of the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company.


Visitors to the Museum can explore the Florence Griswold House - a National Historic Landmark – which has been restored with antiques and works from the collection to its look circa 1910. Tempoary exhibitions can be seen in the adjacent state-of-the-art Krieble Gallery. Educational programs are offered in the outbuildings. There is a shop and a cafe. In addition, this 12-acre campus includes not only Miss Florence's formal garden but also walking paths along the banks of the Lieutenant River and through the woods that so attracted the artists of the Old Lyme Colony.


For more information on visiting, see the FloGris website.

Above: The Florence Griswold house has been restored to the look it had when the artists lived  there.
​Below: The artists helped to decorate the house by painting on the door panels.

Above: The state-of-the art Krieble Gallery hosts rotating exhibitions of works from the museum's collection as well as visiting exhibitions.

Above: The grounds of the museum include scenic views as well as flowering gardens. 

Places to see art ​ -  Florence Griswold (FloGris) Museum - Old Lyme, Connecticut