By Joan Paul

The Covered Bridge Room is the largest of the Griswold Inn’s historic dining rooms. It features the most expansive display of maritime art and memorabilia, covering the walls and parts of the ceiling. photo: Caryn B. Davis, carynbdavis.com

The Griswold Inn

The Griswold Inn is a cultural treasure situated in the storybook seaport village of Essex, Connecticut. “The Gris,” as it is affectionately known, has been around for almost 250 years. As the sign just outside the front entrance announces, it has offered fine food, spirits, and lodging since 1776, distinguishing itself as the oldest continuously operating inn in America. Since its origin, hospitality has been the Inn’s primary raison d’être, providing a place to enjoy good times and mark some of life’s significant passages. In its more recent history, however, the Inn has also come to embrace its important role as a steward of our collective history.

This mission is communicated through the Inn’s vast collection of art and artifacts displayed throughout its public spaces. Many guests appreciate the art for the charming ambience and sense of history it contributes to the dining experience. Still, most are unaware of the stories behind these pieces—visual records of our local history as well as that of our nation.

The Griswold Inn’s marine art collection is considered among the most important in private hands today. The predominant and recurring subject in the collection is the steamboat, America’s first form of mass transit before the railroad. For most of the 19th century, steamship service was the primary means to transport goods and passengers. Steamers came along at a time when innovative technology coincided with the relatively new phenomenon of leisure time for some. While steamboats were practical and convenient, many of these ships also offered an entertaining way to travel, promising adventure and romance along the waterways.

Antonio Jacobsen, Steamer “Connecticut.” image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT

The Inn’s collection includes works from several renowned ship portrait artists, including Danish-born Antonio Jacobsen. One of his most important works is his painting of the

Brass bell from the steamer Hartford. image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT

steamer Connecticut. While many of Jacobsen’s portraits have a similar feel, painted from a port or starboard perspective, the Connecticut is painted at a three-quarter view, showcasing its immense size, power, and grandeur. It is said to be one of the paintings of which the artist was most proud. Harold Scott Sniffen, a curator and chronicler of Jacobsen’s works, observed that Jacobsen was without peer in his ability to render the waters beneath the ships (Antonio Jacobsen’s Painted Ships on Painted Oceans, Mariners Museum, 1994).

Displayed near the Connecticut in the Inn’s wine bar is a pair of original pen-and-ink drawings by marine artist Samuel Ward Stanton. Stanton was prolific, drawing every working steamship in America from the 1880s on. Tragically, while researching a commission, he met an untimely end aboard the “unsinkable” Titanic.

Norman Rockwell, Steamboat Race on the Connecticut. The original oil painting is owned by filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and will be displayed at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, opening in Los Angeles in 2025. image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT

One of the most beloved pieces in the entire Griswold Inn collection is a small pencil sketch by Norman Rockwell, Steamboat Race on the Connecticut. It is a study done for a large oil painting, which was the only maritime subject that Rockwell ever painted. According to Ron Schick in Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera (Little, Brown, 2009), Rockwell considered it “one of his best illustrations.” The painting that resulted accompanied a story by Carl D. Lane, called “River Pilot” in The Saturday Evening Post on September 21, 1940.

These are only a few of the backstories behind the prints, paintings, and ephemera in the Inn’s unique and important maritime art collection. While guests may enjoy a meal and a drink surrounded by the renowned collection on any day of the week, they are also invited to join Geoffrey Paul, co-innkeeper and expert on the collection, who hosts free art tours four or five times a year.

Joan Paul is co-innkeeper of The Griswold Inn and a member of the Paul family, which has owned and operated the Inn for over 28 years.

Explore!

The Griswold Inn, 36 Main Street, Essex, griswoldinn.com/. For more information on art tours at The Gris, visit griswoldinn.com/art-tours.

When visiting Essex be sure to see the Connecticut River Museum, 67 Main Street, Essex, ctrivermuseum.org.

Antonio Jacobsen, Steamer “Hartford.” The last of the “river steamers,” this steamer retired in the fall of 1931, marking the end of an era. While in service, the Hartford primarily transported goods and passengers between Hartford and Old Saybrook. image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT

Antonio Jacobsen, Steamer “Middletown.” The Middletown was built as a sister ship to the steamer Hartford. Both were somewhat smaller than others in service on the Connecticut River—each approximately 250 feet long—but they were very sturdy vessels, able to transport much heavier loads than their larger counterparts. image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT

Steamer Silver Star. Silver Star was in service on the Connecticut River, built to ferry passengers between Saybrook and Hartford. In addition to running excursions, it also served as a tender boat, rescuing passengers from larger steamships that had met trouble, such as running aground. image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT

Broadside notice regarding the steamer Sunshine. image: Griswold Inn Collection, Paul Foundation, Essex, CT