Miss Florence Griswold

Born on Christmas Day in 1850, Florence Griswold experienced a delightful childhood, surrounded by loving family and enjoying the charmed lifestyle of a well-to-do sea captain’s daughter. The family lived in one of the largest homes in town and the girls attended a private school run by an aunt in New London. Florence was adept at music, excelling at guitar, piano, and harp, and also rode horses. It wasn’t until the Captain retired that the financial stability of the family was threatened. His early retirement and bad investments prompted the sisters to open up the Griswold Home School to teach and board young ladies, a resourceful venture that was marginally successful for nearly 14 years. By the end of the century, the family had opened the house to boarders.

“‘Miss Florence,’ as the artists soon began to call their kindly hostess, not only sheltered them under her hospitable roof and fed them at a long table on her latticed, vine-hung back porch, but inspired and encouraged them in every way, even permitting them to expend superfluous energy in painting their land and seascapes, figures and cattle upon the panels of the doors of her big, high studded rooms and also upon the walls of her mahogany-finished dining room which they divided into panels, apportioning them among their number.”

~ Journalist Alice Lawton, 1926

Florence took the lead in running the Griswold boardinghouse. Not only was this a socially acceptable way for an unmarried woman to make a living, but Florence had some prior experience from her work with the girls’ school. Her success, however, came from her savvy abilities to accommodate her very specific clientele: the artists. By nurturing them (and at times their fragile egos) during their stay and inviting them back year after year through a persistent campaign of letter writing, Florence was able to sustain the longevity of her boardinghouse, and had guests staying with her up until her death in 1937.

Miss Florence, as keeper of the boardinghouse, was responsible for sorting out the comings and goings of up to 16 guests at a time and allocating the rooms and studios. For room and board she charged the artists approximately $7 a week. In addition to their meals, boarders received a fresh pitcher of water daily and use of one of the kerosene lamps to light the way to their rooms after dark.

“Miss Florence was the life of the house, happy go lucky, always ready to get up a picnic, arbitrator of quarrels, and the first to lead the way to the abundant larder, which, night after night, was raided of its new cakes and pies.”

~ Author Caroline Weir Ely

Film clips of Miss Florence

Miss Florence and her kittens   Miss Florence gathering flowers   Miss Florence at Lyme Art Association   Miss Florence and the ducks

Meet the people of the boardinghouse by clicking choices below:

• Overview
• Miss Florence
• The Artists
• Distinguished Guests
• Domestic Staff
• Female Artists
• Non-Boarding Guests