CT Explored/Inbox
Winter 25-26: Stories and Storytellers. Their Kindred Earth Revises the History of a Connecticut Town. Top 10 most streamed episodes of GTN of all time. Plus, exhibitions you won't want to miss.
Photo Essay: “From whence the fair and dark have equal birth”: Their Kindred Earth Revises the History of a Connecticut Town
Old Lyme is known to many as the birthplace of American Impressionism, with the scenic Lieutenant River, lush greenery, and picturesque marshes. Many sites in Old Lyme are also tied to a troubled history of enslavement and emancipation, including on the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum.
More than 300 enslaved people once lived in the Lyme region. In 2020 historian Carolyn Wakeman established the Old Lyme chapter of the Witness Stones Project.
When a bronze plaque was installed on the Museum’s front lawn, Curator of Exhibitions, Jennifer Stettler Parsons connected with artist William Earle Williams through a social media post that would spark a groundbreaking project.
Parson’s writes, “Williams’s project became one of revision, a quest for truth, and a unique opportunity to create images that help audiences acknowledge and connect with this long-hidden, disturbing history. In 2025, Williams’s residency produced 120 printed photographs, an exhibition, and a publication titled Their Kindred Earth: Photographs by William Earle Williams (Wesleyan University Press). The title of the book and the title of this essay come from a poem written by Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis (1814–1883), a Black abolitionist active in 1830s Philadelphia, which is also Williams’s adopted city. Forten Purvis used the phrase “their kindred earth” in the poem “An Appeal to Woman,” in which she called for racial equality by relating women’s shared experiences across color lines.”
To view all of this issue’s photo essay subscribe below.
Their Kindred Earth: Photographs by William Earle Williams virtual exhibition tour, https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/william-earle-williams/
Witness Stones Old Lyme, witnessstonesoldlyme.org
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Out and About: Greenwich Historical Society Acquires Childe Hassam Artwork
Greenwich Historical Society is proud to announce the acquisition of 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. Together the gifts enhance the Historical Society’s collection of works by the famed Cos Cob Impressionist art colony.
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, on view through March 8th, 2026, for a better understanding of the roots of American Impressionism and the role of the Cos Cob art colony in shaping it.
Programs and Exhibitions to Enjoy This Season:
The Scenic Daguerreotype in America 1840–1860
Born in France in the 1830s and embraced in America soon after, it became the first photographic craze. Millions of portraits were made, but some adventurous photographers took their cameras outside, capturing shimmering scenes of 19th-century streets, towns, and landscapes. Step into this world through 83 dazzling daguerreotypes, most from a private collection. Don’t miss two of the earliest American landscape photos—never-before-seen views by Samuel Bemis and a lively Cincinnati street scene by James Presley Ball, a trailblazing Black photographer. These images invite you to see the past in stunning, silver detail.
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, 600 Main Street, Hartford. thewadsorth.org; 860-278-2670
“Beams to Balustrades”
Made to last! Discover the stories of our museum’s c. 1713 historic house – from its built-in energy efficiency to the sturdy construction techniques that helped it withstand British cannon fire during the Revolutionary War – on the new “Beams to Balustrades” tour. Open Thursdays through Sundays; school/group tours available upon request. www.keelertavernmuseum.org/visit
Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center, 152 Main Street, Ridgefield. Keelertavernmuseum.org; 203-438-5485
Exhibition at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum
The exhibition, “Bulls of Wall Street: High Finance, Power, and Social Change in Victorian America,” opening on September 4, 2025, will explore the financial world of LeGrand Lockwood, one of America’s first millionaires and his peers—Vanderbilt and Gould. It will also investigate those who tried to break Wall Street’s “glass ceiling” in 19th century America.
Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Ave, Norwalk. 203-838-9799; lockwoodmathewsmansion.com
Editor’s Picks:
Barbara Donahue, “A Walk Along the Underground Railroad” Connecticut Explored, Fall 2005.
Dennis Culliton, “Game Changer: Witness Stones Project” Connecticut Explored, Winter 2022-2023.
Joseph Newman, “‘Only waiting to be painted’ The Inspirational Landscape of Old Lyme” Connecticut Explored, Summer 2006.