The landscape painter John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872) captured images of America as it evolved from a nation that took its pride and strength from its agrarian roots into one that found its future in an urban and industrial society. He was a leader and a voice for the social and artistic communities that helped shape the way the nation saw itself in the middle of these defining moments of the 19th century.

This is also a story about the importance of an idea that took hold of the country after the Civil War: that nature was a private retreat, essential for the spirit… and that this experience was to be found, and expressed, in coastal Connecticut by John Kensett between the years 1866 and 1872. The influence of this image of private retreat shaped a generation of artists and cultural leaders. This project intends to bring this story to the people of the communities where Kensett lived: Cheshire, New Haven and Darien; and to the larger community of cultural historians, collectors and travelers.

Selected Images from the Exhibit: