#weirfarm

[xiomaro]

Nice surprise to see my photographs of Connecticut’s Weir Farm National Historical Park featured by the National Parks Conservation Association. Full article: https://tinyurl.com/425pd8dx

[timetravelerscoinexchange]

Selling my 2020 S Weir Farm Washington Quarter PCGS MS 66 Weir Farm NP 3...

[thehistorygirlnj]

Looking back at 2017: In July we visited our 44th @NationalParkService site, @weirfarmnhs in Wilton, #Connecticut. The site commemorates the life and work of American impressionist painter J. Alden Weir, his daughter Dorothy Weir, and her husband, sculptor Mahonri Young. J. Alden Weir owned the property from 1882 to 1919. Artists Doris and Sperry Andrews purchased the property after Mahorni Young's death and led efforts preservation efforts with Cora Weir Burlingham to preserve the Weir Farm site as a National Park. The site became a NPS site in 1990. The property today includes 16 buildings on 60 acres of land. It is one of two #NationalPark sites devoted to the visual arts, along with Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire. This year we reached our 50th NPS site. How many sites have you been to? #ct #cthistory #SpreadTheHistory #historygirl #FindYourPark #nps #nps101 #OptOutside #jerseycollective #explorect #nationalparks #nationalparkservice #goparks #americanhistory #nationalparkgeek #travelblog #travelblogger #explore #blog #blogger #beautiful #nature #weirfarm #weirfarmnhs #architecture #archi_ologie #art #impressionism (at Weir Farm National Historic Site)

[alicedliteful]

Keep climbing. #stairs #nps #weirfarm #nhrs #dailyzen #inspiration (at Weir Farm National Historic Site)

[thedisorientedvagabond-blog]

Annnnd we’re back (In Wilton)

Hey everyone,

I came back to Wilton today to celebrate my Uncle’s 86th birthday. It is crazy, he does not look or act like someone that age should. He is one of the most lively people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. 

Today was great to spend time with the family. After eating enough food to kill a man, my brother, his girlfriend, and I walked over to one of my favorite places in Wilton, Weir Farm National Historic Site.

Yes they live within a five minute walk to America’s only National Park dedicated to painting. I know, it is spectacular. The park is named after Julian Alden Weir, who was a leader in American art and aided in the development of American Impressionism. The site includes 16 buildings, most of which are open to the public, and miles of hiking trails. I have gone there for walks with my brother for years and have many fond memories there. But today we walked to where they have apple trees and knocked a few down to eat (Hey don’t look at me like that, what are you, a cop?) Weir Farm is the perfect place to forget about everything and just sit for a while enjoying the moment.

Weir Farm Address: 735 Nod Hill Rd, Wilton, CT 06897

It has been great going from place to place but I think I will stay in the city for a while. 

Best,

Ryan

[bawrbie]

[npsparkclp]

Cultural Landscape Urban Tour

Featured City: Hartford, Connecticut

Featured Cultural Landscape: Weir Complex, part of Weir Farm National Historic Site landscape

Distance from Hartford: About 70 miles southwest by car, or enjoy the scenic route with the Amtrak Vermonter train, bus, and metrorail.

Get directions from the park website

[This post is part of a series. If you’re interested in learning about the scope and intent of this project, please visit the Tour Guide or use the hashtag #UrbanTour.]

The map on the left shows the park (the small purple dot) in relationship to Hartford, Connecticut. The right image shows a zoomed-in view of the Weir Farm National Historic Site boundary. Branchville is just to the right (east).

The Weir Farm National Historic Site landscape preserves the home and studio of American Impressionist Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), as well as the rural landscape that inspired his paintings.  The property also contains the studio of sculptor Mahonri Young (1877-1957), who was the husband of Weir’s daughter Dorothy. The cultural landscape contains three distinct historic areas: the Weir Complex, the Burlington Complex, and the Pond and Woodland Area.

Background:  In 1882, Julian Alden Weir obtained this Connecticut farm property from silver mine-owner Erwin Davis in exchange for $560 and an additional ten dollars. Initially, Weir and his first wife maintained a residence in New York City and traveled to the farm for weekend retreats.

When the Weir family moved into the house, they began improving the landscape to conform to their idealized vision of a New England farm: picturesque, yet functional. The crops helped preserve the rural setting and also offset some of the costs of maintaining the property.

Cora Weir in the Terraced Garden (NPS, park website).

By summer of 1885, Weir had constructed a studio to the north of the barn. Around that time his painting began to transition in subject matter and style. He had begun his art career with a focus on portraits and still life paintings, but he now began experimenting with the landscapes and rural scenes around his farm. His work began to emphasize patterns of color and light instead of strict attention to detail, and many critics started identifying him as an Impressionist.

Weir also hosted other contemporary artists at his farm: Albert Pinkham Ryder, John Singer Sargent, J. Appleton Brown, and William Glackens were among those who enjoyed the retreat and artistic inspiration provided by the rural landscape.

Julian Alden Weir and John Singer Sargent stand on the dock at Weir Pond (NPS, park website).

By the time of his death in December of 1919, Weir had expanded his farm property, remodeled the main house, constructed a studio and agricultural outbuildings, developed a pond, and added the Secret Garden and other rustic features along the public roads.

Weir was drawn to this location for the beauty of the existing farms, and he went to great lengths to preserve the rural character and farm the land. The formal preservation of the farm landscape was first initiated by resident artists, and a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the property was formed in 1989. The National Park Service has managed the park since 1990 with a goal of preserving and interpreting the artistic period of the farm (1882 to 1957).

Julian Alden Weir. On the Porch at Weirs Farm, ca. 1900. Watercolor pen and ink on paper. Weir Farm National Historic Site, WEFA2940. Credit: NPS, Weir Farm National Historic Site (Park website).

The Weir Complex represents the historic core of the farm. It features the farmhouse, the studios of Weir and Young, a barn, several farm outbuildings, and a secluded garden. The Complex contains distinct domestic and agricultural areas linked together by picket fences and stone walls.

An NPS park map for Weir Farm NHS shows the arrangement of many of the landscape’s structures and features (NPS).

This ensemble of landscape features supported the daily lives of three generations of artists. While the surrounding landscape shaped their art, they also were shaping the surrounding landscape through ornamental and recreational gardening, agriculture, construction, and ultimately its preservation.

Land Use

In the 19th century, land in this area was used primarily for pasturage, orchards, hayfields, and vegetable crops. This landscape inspired J. Alden Weir and his fellow Impressionists to establish an artistic retreat here. Residents at the farm lived both as artists and caretakers, actively farming portions of the land into the 1950s. Weir’s paintings and drawings indicate some of the activities of maintaining the farm and property. Weir and other residents also planted ornamental gardens.

Cora Weir in the Weir Barnyard (NPS, park website).

Additionally, the land provided for artistic uses, evidenced in the two studio spaces at the Weir Complex and in the reflections of the landscape in the artworks.

Farming is no longer practiced, although the park maintains some of the open fields to retain the historic character. Today, Weir Farm is primarily used for recreation, interpretation of this aspect of American art history, and inspiration for contemporary artists.

An artist paints his view of the terraced garden at Weir Farm National Historic Site (NPS, park website).

Interested in how you can be an artist-in-residence at the Weir Farm? Learn more and apply for the program here.

Buildings and Structures

Many structures on the property were typical of a New England farm, such as the barn, tool shed, tack house, ice house/chicken house, corn crib, chicken coop, stone well, and pump house. Stone walls marked boundaries and created terraces for growing vegetables. Unique to this farm, however, are the studio buildings that J. Alden Weir and Mahonri Young built to create their art. Most of these historic structures are still present on the landscape.

Mahonri Young’s sculpture studio at the Weir Complex, built in 1932 (NPS, park website).

The main portion of the house was built by 1778. It was remodeled in the Greek Revival Style, probably between 1830 and 1850, and may have been remodeled by Weir when he bought the house in 1882. The walls at the complex have also undergone improvements. The Dry Stone Conservancy, Inc. repaired the stone pig pen walls in 2010.

Stone pens recently repaired by the Dry Stone Conservancy, Inc. (NPS, 2011).

Views and Vistas

The camera captures J. Alden Weir painting in a field at his Branchville farm (NPS, park website).

The most notable views today are the same that inspired the artwork of J. Alden Weir, Mahonri Young, and their guests. There are thirty documented vistas within the park that correspond to the paintings by Weir and his associates, eighteen of which are in the Weir Complex (Site Plan, Drawing 3). They include “Weir’s Orchard” (Albert Pinkham Ryder, c. 1885), “New England Barnyard,” (Weir, 1904), and “The Laundry,” (Weir, c. 1894).

This drawing from the Cultural Landscape Report show the painting sites at Weir Farm. View a larger version in the Cultural Landscape Inventory park report for Weir Complex (PDF, see pg. 12). 

Julian Alden Weir. The Laundry, Branchville,1894. Oil on canvas, 30.1 x 25.5 in. On display in Weir Farm Art Center. Credit: National Park Service, Weir Farm National Historic Site (Park website).

For more:

Visit the park website for more information and to plan your own visit (from Hartford or elsewhere).

Read more about the cultural landscapes of Weir Farm National Historic Site, including the Cultural Landscape Report that documents history, conditions, and treatment recommendations for each area.

[Special thanks to friends at the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation for assistance in preparing this post.]

Cultural Landscapes:

“ A cultural landscape is a geographic area, including both cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein, associated with an historic event, activity, or person, or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values.” NPS Cultural Landscape Program

[elegantvitrine]

Thankful for #weirfarm that continues to keep artists creating and thriving. Tree peonies short to bloom but eternal in a painting #weiropen #ct #ctstyle (at Weir Farm National Historic Site)

[timetravelerscoinexchange]

Selling my 2020 D Washington Quarter PCGS MS 67 Weir Farm NP 40472863

[thehistorygirlnj]

The Burlingham House at Weir Farm National Historic Site in Wilton, #Connecticut. The original section of this farmhouse, built circa 1775, was one and a half stories, 24-feet long, and had wood shingle siding. The Webb family bought the property in 1832 and remained there until 1906. In 1907, the home and fifty acres was sold to Julian Alden Weir. The house is named after Weir's youngest daughter, Cora Weir Burlingham, who resided there from 1931 - 1986. She restored the home in the colonial revival style in the early 1930s and put on small additions to accommodate her family, including a small greenhouse. She also built new stone walls throughout the property, terrace gardens, a sunken garden, and a stone potting shed. After her death, much of the property was donated for preservation and would eventually become part of the National Park Service. The home now serves as the park's visitor center. #ct #cthistory #SpreadTheHistory #historygirl #FindYourPark #nps #nps101 #OptOutside #explorect #nationalparks #nationalparkservice #goparks #americanhistory #nationalparkgeek #travelblog #travelblogger #explore #blog #blogger #beautiful #nature #weirfarm #weirfarmnhs #architecture #archi_ologie #oldhouselove #art #farmhouse #visitorcenter (at Weir Farm National Historic Site)

[xiomaro]

. Although the exhibition is not confirmed, the trick is to get a jump on it to avoid last-minute preparatory madness. So the writing of the wall cards begins... #Xiomaro #photography #exhibition #weirfarm #theodoreroosevelt #nationalpark #connecticut (at Danbury, Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNLFTAEnhll/?igshid=12o2jnfb2lcuy

[timetravelerscoinexchange]

Selling my 2020 W Washington Quarter PCGS MS 65 Weir Farm NP V75 39049965

[xiomaro]

. Thank you, Friends of Weir Farm, for sending me a newly-minted commemorative quarter honoring Connecticut’s first national park and the only one in America dedicated to painting. I’m honored to be Weir Farm’s Visiting Artist since 2012. . www.xiomaro.com . #xiomaro #photography #nationalpark #weirfarm #coin #quarter #money #connecticut #painting #art #museum #gallery #history #honor #celebrate #milestone (at Weir Farm National Historic Site) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_tCRwRnyyE/?igshid=1m26wpcj958tl

[xiomaro]

. An excerpt from the Milford Mirror. You can read the whole article here: https://tinyurl.com/y8c5okz6 . #xiomaro #photography #nationalpark #coin #quarter #beautiful #america #weirfarm #connecticut #commemorative #mint #usmint #landscape #art #fineart #artist #painting #impressionism #celebrate #iconic #magazine #northeast #architecture #camera #nikon #collection #book #author #writer #publishing https://www.instagram.com/p/B_M6QU1HtON/?igshid=1q4cnq92e6010

[xiomaro]

. Weir House - Dining Room Shutter. . Story: xiomaro.wordpress.com . Website: www.xiomaro.com/prints . #xiomaro #photography #history #architecture #connecticut #weirfarm #nationalpark #fineart #window #wood #photooftheday #antique #nikon #print #colorphotography #wallart #nycphotographer #hardware #grain #collectible #invest #artist #texture #abstract #red #composition #black #sale #gift #prints (at Weir Farm National Historic Site) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7TPHRunjb3/?igshid=xm4jfg74l484

[xiomaro]

. In the news... . www.xiomaro.com . #Xiomaro #photography #art #book #news #weirfarm #nationalpark #history #connecticut #studio #business #author #writer #artist (at Danbury, Connecticut) https://www.instagram.com/p/B55GJFPnCOC/?igshid=e9zx2wf3o1tv