Clio Logo
Lyman Allyn Art Museum was founded by the bequest of Harriet Upson Allyn, a New London resident, in 1926. It is housed in a neo-classical granite building designed by Charles A. Platt and opened in 1932 with an inaugural collection of just 13 works. Today, it has a permanent collection of more than 15,000 pieces, nine galleries, an auditorium, a conservation lab, and a library. Its focus is on 18th-20th-century American art.

Lyman Allyn Art Museum

Lyman Allyn Art Museum
The museum is named for Harriet Allyn's father Captain Lyman Allyn (1797-1874), who commanded a whaling boat before getting involved in banking, insurance, and the railroad industry. Harriet Allyn's will provided funds for the museum, as well as a park and a donation of land to Connecticut College.

On permanent display is the American Perspectives exhibit, which showcases 18th-20th-century paintings, sculpture, furniture, and decorative arts, arranged by chronology, region, and theme. For instance, the exhibit includes a robust collection of Connecticut Impressionist works, as well as an impressive collection of pieces relating to New London's maritime history.

The museum also has a collection of toys, many of which are displayed inside an American Victorian Dollhouse, built for the museum in 1962. 
"American Perspectives." Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Accessed February 26, 2017. http://www.lymanallyn.org/category/the-permanent-collection/. 

"History." Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Accessed February 26, 2017. http://www.lymanallyn.org/history-of-laam/.

"The Victorian Dollhouse." Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Accessed February 26, 2017. http://www.lymanallyn.org/victorian-hawthorne-doll-house-learning-center/.