GREENWICH – Greenwich Historical Society this week has acquired “Tidal Dam and Bridge, Cos Cob,” a significant pastel by Childe Hassam, a towering figure in American Impressionism.
Donated by a Greenwich family in memory of their son André, the acquisition is on the heels of Impressionist works donated to the Historical Society by Greenwich resident Susan Larkin.
“We are deeply grateful for this gift of a major Hassam work,” said Carol Cadou, executive director and CEO of Greenwich Historical Society. “Our status as a National Historic Landmark stems from the Holley House being at the heart of the Cos Cob art colony — the first Impressionist community in Connecticut and a cradle of American Impressionism. The Hassam pastel enables us to expand on that legacy, which is a powerful connection to a defining moment in our nation’s history.”
A founding member of the Cos Cob art colony, Childe Hassam was inspired by the landscape of the Lower Landing at the banks of the Mianus River. From 1894 to 1917, he made extended stays at the Holley Boarding House (now the Bush-Holley House), where he experimented across mediums, from oil and pastels to etchings.
The newly acquired pastel is a testament to one of Hassam’s most productive periods. During an extended stay with his wife Maud in 1902, Hassam captured the local landscape in vivid detail, completing 20 pastels and several oil paintings, including this depiction of the local tidal dam, earthen works and bridge.
Hassam’s pastel offers a fresh perspective that complements an etching of the same scene already in the Historical Society collection.
“These two different mediums, viewed together, provide an intimate and exacting look at the composition of the historic neighborhood,” said Historical Society Curator Kathy Craughwell-Varda. “Considering there aren’t any photographs of the area, we are now able to understand the landscape as the artists saw it, thus adding to the historical record.”
The community is encouraged to visit the Historical Society to view the new acquisitions, in addition to the current exhibition “The Holley Boarding House: Inspiring American Impressionism,” through March 8, 2026.
