The American Artist in Connecticut:
The Legacy of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection

Introduction
Portraiture
Discovering the Connecticut Landscape
Still Life & Genre
Connecticut & American Impressionism
The Cos Cob Art Colony
Mystic, Silvermine, & Beyond
The Art Colony at Old Lyme

About The Hartford Steam Boiler Collection

Home to Florence Griswold Museum

The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company

The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company is a global provider of specialty insurance products, inspection services and engineering consulting. Its roots as a Connecticut corporation date to the 1850s when a group of Hartford engineers expressed concern at the disastrous consequences of steam boiler explosions, a frequent occurrence of that day. In the wake of the 1865 explosion of the Mississippi River steamer Sultana, the worst boiler explosion in American history with a loss of 1,238 lives, they formed a company that would both inspect and insure steam boilers. Founded in 1866, Hartford Steam Boiler is one of the pioneering American businesses devoted to industrial safety.

As the company grew and matured, it became recognized for supporting industrial innovation through insurance and the application of new technologies. Today, Hartford Steam Boiler is one of the largest equipment breakdown insurers in the world. Among its more recent innovations has been the formation of collections of American paintings and furniture. Wilson Wilde, the company’s President and CEO from 1971 to 1994, formulated a plan for preserving Connecticut’s heritage by collecting the works of Connecticut artists and artisans. Over a fifteen-year period, Hartford Steam Boiler acquired 70 pieces of furniture and 190 works of art, diversely representative of America, but unified by their association with Connecticut.

In 2001, Hartford Steam Boiler announced that it would donate its entire American art collection to the Florence Griswold Museum. Richard H. Booth, President and CEO since 2000, stated that “the collection embodies the values that made Connecticut a leader in building the nation – hard work, craftsmanship and excellence. This gift assures that the public will have full access to these works of art.” The Florence Griswold Museum is honored at having been trusted with the ownership and care of this collection. We hope you enjoy The American Artist in Connecticut: The Legacy of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection.