Greenwich Historical Society To Hold Event On Cos Cob Painting

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Historical Society will hold a curator's talk and gallery tour to delve into the context of the recently acquired painting titled "The Red Mill, Cos Cob", by artist Childe Hassam.

The event will be held on Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. at the historical society, located at 47 Strickland Road in Cos Cob.

Painted in 1896 during the first of many visits Hassam made to the Holley family boarding house (now the Bush-Holley House), The Red Mill, Cos Cob is a depiction of the 19th century Palmer and Duff Shipyard once located on Palmer Point, as interpreted by the famed American Impressionist painter.

Following its acquisition by the Greenwich Historical Society in 2020, the painting will be on view in the Historical Society’s permanent collections gallery beginning Feb. 16, alongside other artworks and artifacts illustrating the legacy of shipbuilding and the artist colony centered on Cos Cob’s historic Lower Landing.

The gallery talk will illustrate the importance of the painting and the waterfront landscape it captured, once a favorite subject of renowned Impressionists including John Henry Twachtman, Theodore Robinson and Elmer MacRae.

“This striking Hassam painting gives viewers a direct, specific glimpse into the importance of Cos Cob in the development of American Impressionism and its relationship to the now-vanished business district of Cos Cob’s waterfront community the Lower Landing,” said Curator of Exhibitions and Collections Maggie Dimock, in a news release.

“Its installation in our Permanent Collections Gallery is a fitting kick off to the Greenwich Historical Society’s 90th anniversary year, during which we aim to instill a keen sense of place and pride in Greenwich’s rich history.”

The gallery talk and tour will be approximately 40 minutes. Admission is $15 for members, $20 for non-members and includes general entrance to the museum/galleries.

Space is limited; pre-registration is recommended.