Cos Cob in Fairfield County, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)

The Cos Cob Art Colony

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

1. The Cos Cob Art Colony Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The Cos Cob Art Colony During the early 1890s American impressionist artists John H. Twachtman and J. Alden Weir began teaching summer art classes here in Cos Cob to students of New York's Art Students League. Edward and Josephine Holley ran the Bush-Holley House, then known simply as the "Old House" or the Holley House, as a boarding house for the artists and writers who were attracted to the picturesque village of Cos Cob. The colonial architecture of the Holley House which had been built in 1730, appealed to the boarders, many of whom made it a frequent subject of their work.
Among Cos Cob's amenities were easy access via train from New York City, recreation, and plenty of suitable subjects for painting, especially the village's older warehouse and residential buildings and the waterfront. In addition to Twachtman and Weir, the art colony attracted artists Childe Hassam, Theodore Robinson, Charles Ebert and Elmer Livingston MacRae (who married the Holley's daughter), as well as writers Willa Cather, Viola Roseboro and Lincoln Steffans. Between 1890 and 1920 more than 200 artists and writers enjoyed the camraderie of

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

2. The Cos Cob Art Colony Marker

Beyond is the Bush-Holley Historic Site Visitor Center

Click or scan to see
this page online

Connecticut's fine art colony.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1730.

Location. 41° 2.049′ N, 73° 35.867′ W. Marker is in Cos Cob, Connecticut, in Fairfield County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Strickland Road and River Road, on the right when traveling south. Located in front of the Bush-Holley House Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob CT 06807, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Second Oldest Cemetery in Greenwich (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cos Cob (approx. 0.3 miles away); Putnam's Escape (approx. one mile away); Putnam Cottage (approx. 1.1 miles away); Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (approx. 1.3 miles away); Founders and Proprietors Monument (approx. 1.3 miles away); George Washington Paused Here (approx. 1.3 miles away); Sound Beach Railroad Station (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cos Cob.

Regarding The Cos Cob Art Colony. The Bush-Holley House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991

Also see . . .
1. Bush-Holley House on Wikipedia. (Submitted on December 5, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

The Bush-Holley House Historic Site Visitor Center image. Click for full size.

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

3. The Bush-Holley House Historic Site Visitor Center

2. Cos Cob Art Colony on Wikipedia. (Submitted on December 5, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

The Bush-Holley House image. Click for full size.

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

4. The Bush-Holley House

Bush-Holley House Historic Site image. Click for full size.

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

5. Bush-Holley House Historic Site

Detail Photo on the Marker image. Click for full size.

By Michael Herrick, 100

6. Detail Photo on the Marker

Artist John Henry Twachtman instructing an art student painting Palmer and Duff's Shipyard, which was across the waterfront at the Bush-Holley House.

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

7. Detail Photo on the Marker

Holley House boarders fishing on the waterfront.

By Michael Herrick, November 30, 2010

8. Detail Photo on the Marker

November, Cos Cob, 1902, a pastel by Childe Hassam picturing the village post office to the right (now the Bush-Holley House Historic Site Visitor Center), and the warehouses which were nearby.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 5, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 1,022 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on December 5, 2010, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.