Accommodations varied in the Holley House. The most comfortable room was located downstairs in the northeast corner of the house. Known as the best bedroom, this room was reserved for guests who could afford to pay for the extra space and comfort. A 1902 letter from Emma Constant to her mother reveals that Childe Hassam, a notable Impressionist painter, paid $20 per week for the room and board. By contrast, another artist, Carolyn Mase, paid only $8 or $9 for her accommodations. Spacious, with an elegant Federal-era fireplace mantle and northeastern exposure from three large windows, this room had the nicest amenities.

Photograph of the ‘Best Bedroom’

“The shining brass knocker upon the broad front door,…the steep pitch of the rear roof and the massive chimney, all tell their story of the long ago."

Many people who participated in the art colony were influenced by the Colonial Revival, a movement which inspired nostalgia for America’s colonial past. Many artists affectionately called the Holley House the ‘Old House’ and used colonial history as inspiration. Wallace Nutting, a well known photographer of the colonial revival, used the federal mantelpiece in the Best Bedroom, to stage photographs that idealized colonial America.

“White Kimono,” a 1914 etching by Childe Hassam, shows Holley House neighbor, Helen Burke standing in front of the Best Bedroom fireplace

Childe Hassam also frequently used the Federal mantelpiece in his etchings and paintings, such as in The Mantelpiece. This turn toward the colonial past helped many Americans negotiate changes in American society related to issues such as industrialization and immigration.

During the time of the art colony, Strickland Road was the center of the Cos Cob community. The post office, the harbor and a local tavern were located in the vicinity of the boarding house. In Village Square, Elmer MacRae captured the bustling town center.

Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Cos Cob transitioned into a residential suburb of New York. While Cos Cob retained much of its agricultural and maritime landscape, which inspired many artists, large mansions and resorts were being built locally, which often caused tension between the community and the visiting artists.

Photograph of teatime in front of the Best Bedroom’s Federal style mantle

“Village Square” by Elmer MacRae shows the center of the Cos Cob community right outside the Holley House