Weir Farm National Historical Park ⓘ

Mahonri Mackintosh Young was born in 1877 in Salt Lake City, Utah. After producing his first sculpture at thirteen, Mahonri pursued formal art education in Salt Lake City, New York, and Paris. In 1905, he'd settle in Salt Lake City, where he married Cecilia Sharp and had two children. Considered a member of the Social Realism movement in art, Mahonri enjoyed sculpting the working class and their labors. The death of Mahonri's wife Cecilia in 1917, prompted him to return to Paris for study. Upon his return to New York City, Mahonri Young would become quick friends with Julian Alden Weir's daughter, Dorothy Weir. The two shared a love for art. Soon after Dorothy and Mahonri would fall in love and marry in 1931. They would then move to the Branchville farm, where Mahonri worked on his largest commission, a monument entitled "This is the Place". Throughout his life, Young's work ranged from large monuments; to smaller sculptures of laborers and boxers in the Social Realist style; to intimate sketches of daily life at Weir Farm.

Mahonri Mackintosh Young was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1877, into a well-known family; he was the grandson of the Mormon leader Brigham Young. His mother bought him a woodcarving set when he was thirteen, and he used it to create his first sculpture—a relief of Julius Caesar carved from an old wooden fence post. After more formal art studies in Salt Lake City and briefly at the Art Students League in New York, Mahonri spent several years in the art schools of Paris. During this period, he developed into a fully-formed artist, and he decided to focus on sculpture. Already, a series of studies he had done of Parisian laborers were attracting much attention.

In 1905, Mahonri returned to the United States, settling for a time back in Salt Lake City. Two years later, he married Cecelia Sharp, with whom he would have two children in the coming years. In 1911, he moved with his family back to New York. Here, he worked on two large commissions: one was the Seagull Monument, commissioned by the Mormon Church and bound for Salt Lake City, while another was a series of dioramas of the Hopi, Navajo, and Apache Indians for the American Museum of Natural History. The research for these dioramas included trips to the Southwest, which would inspire many sketches, paintings and sculptures. Also in New York, Mahonri held his first significant one-man show in 1912. One of the attendees was Julian Alden Weir . The fact that a leading artist like Weir found it worthwhile to attend the show was evidence of his growing reputation. "His friends ran the whole gamut of the art world," Mahonri gushed. Weir's attendance at the show was of note for another reason as well—unbeknownst to them, in twenty years, Mahonri would marry Weir's daughter Dorothy and become his son-in-law.

Personal tragedy came for Young in 1917 when he lost his wife Cecilia to cancer. He spent more time in Paris to recover, and once again returned to New York City. It was there, at a dinner in 1921 given by art collector Duncan Phillips, where Young first met Julian Alden Weir's daughter, Dorothy Weir. Her father had died in 1919, but Dorothy herself was an artist and involved in promoting her father's legacy. More coincidental meetings with the two followed, which then turned into planned meetings in Branchville, Paris and New York City as acknowledged friends. Young and Dorothy married in 1931, and he moved to Branchville in 1932. "No matter how friendly [J. Alden] Weir always was to us of the younger artists, he never introduced us to any of his three charming daughters," Young recalled. "We never met any of them until after he died. But it was no use. I married the most beautiful, the finest, the most talented of them, Dorothy." In 1932, Young commissioned his son-in-law Oliver Lay to build a new sculpture studio on the grounds of the Branchville farm. It was in here that Young would create his largest work. In 1939, he was awarded a long-awaited commission from the Mormon Church and the State of Utah for a monument commemorating Utah's early history. The monument he created, entitled "This is the Place," derives its name from the words Brigham Young said on entering Emigration Canyon, near Salt Lake City. Mahonri Young did all the work on the sculptures in his Weir Farm studio with the help of one assistant, Spero Anargyros. Although he considered the monument his crowning achievement, it was not accomplished without frustrations: his relationship with members of the monument commission was cantankerous; World War II made travel and working conditions difficult; and he was afraid his creative powers were waning. In the end, he had to fight to be paid. Nevertheless, at the dedication on July 24, 1947, he made the simple, poignant statement: "Next month, come the ninth of August, I will be 70 years old. This is the greatest day of my life."

What was the greatest day of Young's life was missing a very important person-his wife, Dorothy Weir, who had died two months previous to the monuments dedication. Young continued to live alone at the Branchville farm after her death, completing one last major commission. He was asked by the State of Utah to create a monument to Brigham Young, the state's choice for representation in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol Building. The six-foot sculpture of a seated Brigham Young was unveiled in Washington, D.C. in 1950.

Besides the large monuments that Young created during his lifetime, many of his sculptures were smaller figures. Young was considered a Social Realist; he enjoyed sculpting the working class and their labors. Farmers, stone masons, construction workers were all popular sculpting and sketching topics. Boxers, too, fascinated Young. His sculptures of legendary boxers made his a well-known figure in the boxing sport, being "one of the few artists of the day whose work was discussed on both the arts and sports pages." Additionally, Young created many animal sculptures, featuring the goats and horses he encountered during his travels in the Southwest.

While many of Young's many projects kept him in his studio, he, like Weir before him, was too taken with the beauty of the Branchville farm landscape to remain indoors. Young had always been a prolific sketcher, even having his suit pockets specially-made to fit a sketchbook and pens. At the farm, his sketching flourished, with Young himself commenting that he "saw pictures everywhere." As a result, he always carried a sketchbook around with him to capture any particular inspirational scene. These pen and ink drawings are a valuable source of information about the landscape and life at the farm. Often, these sketches became watercolor and oil paintings as well, adding to the tradition of creating artwork on en plein air at Weir Farm. Throughout his life, Young's work ranged from large monuments; to smaller sculptures of laborers and boxers in the Social Realist style; to intimate sketches of daily life at Weir Farm. Near the end of his life, Mahonri would befriend local artists Doris and Sperry Andrews . The Andrews family would help preserve the artistic legacy that was started by Julian Alden Weir. Young died on November 2, 1957, a few months after his eightieth birthday. As his son commented afterward, he "was a man who lived with no disconnection between life and art. His life and his art were a seamless web. One just flowed right into the other. He talked about art, he thought about art, and made art. Art in a very sense was his life."

Born into a family of artisits, Julian Alden Weir studied art at New York's National Academy of Design and later matriculated to Les Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. While living in Branchville, Weir shifted his artistic style from portrait and still life work to focus on the inspirational nature of the landscape at his Branchville farm. Critical acclaim ultimately brought Weir to the forefront of the American art establishment. He received multiple awards and acclaims in his last years as critics celebrated Julian's contributions to the world of art. Julian Alden Weir died in 1919 having begun an artistic legacy at his Branchville farm that persists to this day.

Weir's four years in Europe were exactly the intense experience with art his father wanted for his son. Julian not only studied techniques, but also discovered the rich art history Europe had to offer. Weir traveled extensively, enraptured by visits to rural France, Spain, Holland, England and seeing the artwork and scenery they presented. "Yes John," Weir wrote to his brother from Holland, "a man could afford to starve for the sake of seeing these great wonders." Back in Paris, worn out from his travels, Weir spent his Saturday afternoons at the Louvre museum for "recuperation." Throughout, Weir continued his own art studies with Jean-Léon Gérôme, who was himself considered a master. Gérôme's teaching was effective, and Weir won the top award in Gerome's studio. Weir also exhibited at the Paris Salon. Yet even as Weir learned the strict rules of art in the academic style, he was already formulating his own ideas, which would foreshadow his later switch to Impressionism. "To me," he wrote in 1876, "there are no rules except those which your own feelings suggest and he who renders nature to make one feel the sentiment of such, to me is the greatest man."

In January of 1882, one of Weir's drawing students brought her friend to a lesson. The new student was Anna Dwight Baker from Windham, Connecticut. Within three weeks, Julian and Anna had fallen in love and were engaged. Shortly after their engagement, another major event took place.

Erwin Davis wanted a painting that Julian acquired in Europe so much that he offered Weir a deal. Davis would trade a 153-acre farm in Branchville, Connecticut for the painting -- plus $10.00. Weir wrote to Anna on June 17, 1882 commenting that, "If I go up to Ridgefield tomorrow, I will look at the 155-acres and see it they are habitable, if so we might have that as a sort of hunting lodge for part of the season."

Weir agreed to the deal with Davis and on July 19, 1882, for a painting and ten dollars, he received the 153-acre Branchville farm. Weir and Anna were married the next year on April 24, 1883.

Tragedy struck in the middle of all this success. Anna's sudden death in 1892 due to complications from childbirth was a shattering blow. She died one week after giving birth to their youngest daughter, Cora. Weir handled the tragedy by leaving Branchville and spending several months in Chicago where he immersed himself in painting one of the murals for the Manufacturing and Liberal Arts Building at the World's Columbian Exposition. Anna's sister, Ella , was available to take charge of the baby and her two older sisters while Julian was away. Letters between Julian and his sister-in-law reveal his gradual realization that Ella could fill the void in his life. They were married in Boston in October 1893.

Although all three of Julian Alden Weir’s daughters demonstrated their own artistic abilities, it was Dorothy Weir Young who most fully identified herself as an artist. She listed her occupation as “artist” in the 1920 U.S. census. In addition to painting, she also experimented with various printmaking techniques, including linoleum-cut prints and Japanese inspired woodblocks. Known as the “keeper of the flame”, Dorothy worked hard to preserve her father’s legacy. She maintained the family farm and J. Alden Weir’s studio just as he had. Dorothy also spent hours transcribing her father’s letters, which later would become the backbone of her book The Life and Letters of J. Alden Weir . Thirteen years after her death, her unfinished draft was edited and published in 1960. It was her research and her preservation of the Branchville farm that paved the way for the creation of Weir Farm National Historic Site.

Dorothy Weir Young was the middle daughter of Julian Alden Weir and Anna Baker Weir . She was the only one of Weir's daughters who actually studied art under the direction of her father. "I think she shows a great deal of ability," he wrote as early as 1911, when she began her studies at the National Academy of Design. She worked in oils and watercolors and did woodblock prints as well. In 1917, she studied gardening for a week at Storrs College, but found that the subject did not interest her as art did. During the First World War, she was active in relief efforts. In addition to providing financial support for Belgian children, she trained with the American Red Cross and the Women's Navy League to become proficient at first aid and medical practices. In 1943, she made her home (the Weir House) available as a workspace for the Wilton branch of the American Red Cross. There they would make surgical dressings and clothes with them.

Dorothy continued to pursue her career as an artist in the years following her father's death in 1919. Even while caring for her aging stepmother Ella Baker Weir , and managing the family property in Branchville and Windham, she made time for her art. In her lifetime, she won prizes for her Japanese inspired woodblocks as well as for some of her oil paintings. Today, most of her work can be found at the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University in Utah.

Early in 1931, after the death of her stepmother, Dorothy married Mahonri Young , a prominent sculptor whom she had known casually for several years before their friendship turned to courtship and marriage. Much of that marriage was spent at Branchville, where Young had a studio built in 1932 for his sculpture work. Dorothy managed the finances, the house and the farm. Some of their favorite activities included making cheese, painting, and partaking in mulled wine and persimmons for dessert after a Sunday feast. It was always said that Dorothy was the "keeper of the flame" for her father's legacy, and she worked hard to promote it. She maintained the family home and Julian Alden Weir's studio essentially as he had known them. Along with her two sisters, she began cataloguing all her father's works. During the 1920s, she began to collect information on her father's life, out of which grew the biography The Life and Letters of J. Alden Weir . Her unfinished draft was edited by Lawrence W. Chisolm and published in 1960, thirteen years after her death. The book received favorable reviews in the New York Times Sunday Book section. In 1961, a reviewer, James Flexner, said, "Mrs. Young tells her father's story with the flavor of the gentlewoman; using modesty and the unobtrusive culture and grace of the past to bring richness to the text."

Dorothy's death at age fifty-seven from cancer was untimely, as she did not witness the preservation of her father's farm that she had helped inspire. During her life, like her father, she was almost universally adored. She was "a real lady…a smooth and perfected person…of strong character," said her stepson, "Everyone loved Dorothy."

Weir Farm National Historical Park preserves the home and landscapes of Julian Alden Weir and the two other generations of artists that followed him. This classic New England property also includes lovely open meadows and dappled woodlands crisscrossed by moss covered stone walls. Now you can explore some of Weir Farm's most significant historic buildings from home! Discover various exhibits and historic buildings throughout the park with our virtual tours .

Don't miss what else Weir Farm has to offer! Pick up a Self-Guided Walking Tour brochure and map at the visitor center and explore Weir Farm's historic grounds:

Don’t miss the Secret Garden (circa 1910), Sunken Garden and Terraced Garden (1930s-1940s). Restored by the National Park Service in partnership with the Wilton and Ridgefield Garden Clubs, these gardens showcase a beautiful variety of flowers and native plants that appear today as they did when planted.

Of the 238 acres once owned by Julian Alden Weir, 71 acres are managed by the National Park Service. Part of Weir Farm National Historical Park, Weir Pond has been a recreation destination and an area of artistic creation for more than 100 years. On the way to Weir Pond, check out Truants' Meadow and a replica of Weir's Palace Car. An additional 110 acres of adjacent fields and woodlands, the Weir Preserve, are owned by the Weir Farm Art Alliance and maintained by a local stewardship group. Enjoy a long hike and see mature Oaks, Sugar Maples, and Ash trees!

Weir Farm National Historical Park’s museum collection contains over 200,000 archives and objects including fine and decorative arts, letters, photographs, and furnishings associated with the site and the history of the Weir, Young and Andrews families. Weir Farm’s art collection includes large oil paintings by Julian Alden Weir and Sperry Andrews, sculptures by Mahonri Young, and a growing collection of artworks by Doris Andrews, Dorothy Weir Young, and Caroline Weir Ely.

Olin Levi Warner, Bust of J. Alden Weir , plaster, 1880. Julian Alden Weir returned to New York City after studying in Paris in 1877 to begin his professional career. He was vibrant, outgoing, friendly, and talented. Close friend and sculptor Olin Levi Warner captured Weir’s energy and vigor in this 1880 plaster bust. A New York Times critic wrote, “As a portrait-bust it may be pronounced the finest, most virile work yet exhibited in New-York...the turn of the head showing the tendons and veins of the neck, the modeling which gives energy to the chin, the vivacity of the eye-sockets, the delicate manipulation of the lips, give it an intensity of life that one seldom sees in any statuary.” Bust of J. Alden Weir is on view in the Weir House.

Plaster cast of Abraham Lincoln’s Left Hand In 1917 Douglas Volk gave Julian Alden Weir this plaster casting of Abraham Lincoln’s left hand. Weir and Volk studied together at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Volk’s father, Leonard, made his original casting of Lincoln’s face and hands during Lincoln’s first presidential campaign in 1860. There are many copies of Lincoln’s hands and face made from Volk’s mold, including a series oversaw by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1886. A copy of Lincoln’s hand is on view in the Weir Studio.

Julian Alden Weir, Autumn , oil on canvas, 1906. Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, William A. Clark Collection. Julian Alden Weir’s most successful landscape paintings of his Branchville farm all share a few of his simple truths: sun-drenched fields contain both beautiful vistas and unsightly dying trees. Common subjects are beautiful and worth examining. Weir’s paintings are filled with impediments that intentionally slow down how fast a viewer can observe the painting. The wetlands, boulders, trees, fences, and stone walls in Autumn are the visual representation of Weir’s belief that one must spend time in nature before nature reveals its beauty. Autumn is on view in the Weir House.

Mahonri Young, Enzo Fiermonte , bronze, 1931. Mahonri Young enjoyed boxing throughout his life. He went to amateur matches in Paris and in 1903 broke his thumb during an impromptu sparing match with Leo Stein. Young’s 1931 sculpture of Italian boxer Enzo Fiermonte shows the fighter ready for shadow boxing. Fiermonte stands alone, in an orthodox stance. His raised hands are wrapped, and he is wearing all his boxing gear except gloves. Enzo Fiermonte is on view in the Young Studio.

Saint Francis of Assisi Medallion The five Dutch casement windows, featuring intricate leaded glass and wooden shutters, are some of the most captivating architectural elements of the Weir House. Each window features two, antique stained-glass medallions that were likely collected by Julian Alden Weir during one of his European trips. St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and the environment. This 16th century medallion of St. Francis of Assisi is located in the east window of the Dining Room.

Julian Weir Lives & Save the Farm Pins Cora Weir Burlingham along with Sperry and Doris Andrews were instrumental in developing a grassroots movement to save Weir Farm from encroaching development. Their passion for the landscape influenced the surrounding community to join in the preservation efforts. These buttons were created and worn in support of the farm for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations.

Want to see more art? Please visit Weir Farm’s Museum Collection page on the NPS web catalog to see more artworks from Weir Farm National Historical Park’s permanent collection.

Weir Farm cannot purchase art using federal funds because of a clause written into the park’s enabling legislation. To fill this gap, Weir Farm relies on the generosity of partners and individuals who donate art to the collection and money to the acquisition account. Please visit the Support your Park page to learn more.

Over the past thirty years, the Weir Farm Art Alliance has donated over 140 pieces of art to Weir Farm National Historical Park. These works are now part of the Park's museum collection, and a wide variety can be viewed on the Alliance website . Thank you to the Weir Farm Art Alliance for your continued effort to reunite historically significant paintings with the park!

Doris Andrews and her husband Sperry were the last residents of Weir Farm. Doris specialized in watercolors and pen and ink. During her lifetime, Doris saw many developments spring up around the farm’s borders, and she became concerned that Weir Farm would also suffer that fate. Along with Cora Weir Burlingham, Doris organized the group, Citizens to Preserve Weir Farm. She also took to her typewriter, writing letter after letter to lawmakers, artists, and art historians, heralding the importance of saving this site. In 1990, Doris achieved her goal when Weir Farm was designated a national historic site. She, and her husband Sperry Andrews, lived out the rest of their years in the house, enjoying the site that she had worked tirelessly to preserve.

Doris Bass Andrews grew up in Kentucky, and studied watercolor painting once she had relocated to New York City. Upon sharing an easel during a class at the Art Students League with fellow student Sperry Andrews , Doris met her future husband. The two were married in 1947 and moved to the Branchville farm ten years later. Although Doris' main focus during her residence was her family and the preservation of the farm, she did continue to paint aspects of the landscape with her watercolors.

Like Dorothy Weir Young before her, Doris vowed to maintain the Weir House and her 12 plus acres in as historical a manner as was possible. She wanted people to experience what life must have been like for Julian Alden Weir and his family, and therefore made no major changes to the house or grounds and lived with all the furniture that was originally in the house. People have often commented that going through the Weir House while Doris lived there was like going through a time warp. This is exactly what Doris wanted. Although Doris grasped the importance of Weir Farm, there were many people who did not, and regarded the property as prime land for new housing developments. In her lifetime, she saw many of these developments spring up around the borders of the farm, and her concern that Weir Farm would soon fall victim to the same, prompted her to act. Along with Cora Weir Burlingham , her next-door neighbor, Doris organized the group, Citizens to Preserve Weir Farm. She also took to her typewriter, writing letter after letter to lawmakers, artists, art historians, and land-use groups, heralding the importance of saving a site with such historical significance. As Doris said, "There is no one of importance in the state of Connecticut or elsewhere that I have not contacted for his or her support. Everyone who needs to know about Weir Farm has gotten the word." In 1977, Doris received the Connecticut Nature Conservancy's White Oak Award for her dedication to the preservation of Weir Farm. In 1990, the farm became a national historic site, and Doris had achieved success. She, and her husband, lived out the rest of their years in the house, observing the daily visitors who came to enjoy the site that she had worked tirelessly to preserve.

Charles Sperry Andrews III, commonly known as Sperry Andrews, grew up in the Yonkers-Bronxville area of New York during the 1920s. With his father's encouragement, Sperry dedicated himself to art, attending school at the National Academy of Design during his younger years. Sperry attended the Art Students League after the war, where he'd meet his future wife Doris Bass. The couple would befriend Young, and would purchase the farm after Young passed away in the late 1950s. Together, he and his wife Doris would paint and preserve the park. As stewards of the property, they understood the unique significance of the farm's tradition of art and family life in a pastoral landscape. Through their efforts, Weir's original "farm among the rocks" became a national historic site in 1990, one of over 400 national parks that tell the story of America.

From his childhood, Sperry understood that he was an artist. He was born in New York City on October 5, 1917, and grew up in the Yonkers-Bronxville area picking up sketching at an early age. His supportive father, though himself a banker, encouraged Sperry's artistic endeavors. "If that's what you want to do, go ahead and do it," his father said. Sperry did just that, attending art school at the National Academy of Design from 1933-1936. At age twenty-one, his artwork was in its first juried exhibition-the 113th Annual Exhibition at the National Academy of Design.

World War II took Sperry away from his art education when he was drafted into the Army in 1941. He went overseas to Iceland and served as part of a task force for more than two years with the 50th Ordinance Ammunition Company. He then served in England, took part in the second invasion of Normandy, and Germany. Despite the war, Sperry continued to create art in his time off, chronicling his experience in a series of personal scrapbooks illustrated in watercolors. After the war, he returned to New York City and took advantage of the GI Bill by enrolling in the Art Students League. It was here that he met fellow student Doris Bass when they shared an easel together. The two were married and then moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut in 1948.

The Andrewses remained involved in the art scene in New York City, and one exhibition they attended in 1952 was a catalyst for a profound change in their lives. The exhibition was a Julian Alden Weir centennial at the American Society of Arts and Letters and the catalogue included an introduction by Mahonri M. Young , Weir's son-in-law and noted sculptor. By reading the catalogue, the Andrewses learned that Mahonri was in fact living in the Weir homestead in Ridgefield. Upon this realization that they were living in the same town, Sperry decided to call on Mr. Young. He was initially greeted a bit gruffly, since Mahonri assumed he wanted to fish on his pond, but from this first meeting a strong friendship would develop between Mahonri and the Andrews family. They frequently visited Mahonri and kept him company, painted with him in his studio and sketched the landscape of the farm. As Sperry relayed, whenever he wanted to see Mahonri or paint the grounds, he would go to the studio, call up and ask: "Are you busy?" Mahonri's invariable answer was: "I'm always busy, but come in anyway."

After the death of Mahonri in 1957, the Andrews family bought the house, studios, outbuildings, and enough land to protect the core of the farm. They did very little to alter the structures or the landscape, as they had the foresight to see that this was an important place to preserve. The house and studios especially retained much of their original character, filled with relics from the earlier occupants as well the artwork of Sperry and Doris themselves.

Shortly after they moved in, however, the farming community of Branchville began a gradual transformation into a suburban residential area. Soon, a large portion of Weir's original land, including a fishing pond he had built with $2,500 first prize money he had won for a painting, was at risk to be developed. Their next-door neighbor Cora Weir Burlingham , Julian Alden Weir's youngest daughter, reportedly inspired Doris to become a preservation activist with a simple question: "Doris, don't you think you can save the pond?" Doris, along with her husband Sperry, acted. They organized and spearheaded a grassroots preservation movement, passing out pins to the community that read "Julian Weir Lives" and "Save the Farm." These, and other efforts, ultimately led to saving much of Julian Alden Weir's original property. In 1990, the saved sixty-acres became a unit in the National Park System, as Weir Farm National Historic Site. Sperry and Doris were granted life tenancy on the property, and they would often give impromptu tours of the studios to curious visitors.

Throughout his residency at Weir Farm, Sperry embraced the artistic tradition it held. "An artist friend once told me that there are two kinds of artists-the eyeballers and the cerebrals," he said. "I'm an eyeballer, I'd say. I'm inspired by things I see." He created thousands of paintings and drawings during his time at the farm, with numerous images of the farm itself. These works, primarily landscapes in oil and watercolor, continued to gain recognition in the greater community. He won several prestigious awards, such as the Salmagundi Club Award in 1962, and an election to the National Academy of Design in 1994. He exhibited frequently in galleries in Connecticut and New York, and his work was featured twice in the publication, American Artist. Additionally, Sperry was a teacher, holding classes at the Silvermine School of the Arts and the Wooster Community Arts Center. His work is part of the permanent collections at the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Columbus Gallery of Fine Art, the National Academy of Design, and the New Britain Museum of American Art. Sperry died on July 14, 2005. Both he and his wife Doris are remembered as the steadfast and resolute stewards of Weir Farm, as well as for leaving their own artistic contribution to the legacy of the site.

Anna Dwight Baker was just nineteen when her friend, artist Ernestine Fabbri, brought her to an art class taught by a young Julian Alden Weir. Ernestine later describes their first meet as, "a coup de foudre [love at first sight/a bolt out of the blue]." Anna and Julian were engaged a few weeks later. They were only married for nine years before her tragic death in 1892. Anna’s memory is preserved within hundreds of Julian’s works of art. However she wasn’t just his artistic muse. She is remembered today as one of Julian's staunchest supporters. As their daughter Dorothy Weir Young noted, Anna was “a fundamental part of Weir’s artistic as well as his personal life; and her moral support had been a bulwark to him.”

Born Anna Dwight Baker in Madison, New Jersey on May 18th 1862, Anna was the youngest daughter of Charles Taintor Baker and Anna Bartlett Dwight Baker. Anna was slender, of medium height, with dark blue eyes, and thick curly hair of reddish golden brown. She was passionate about the theater. As a young child, she often dressed up as Romeo and acted before invisible audiences. Anna loved reciting memorized verses and took elocution lessons, possibly in an effort to fulfill her dream of being on stage. After Anna passed away, acquaintances recollected that Anna was ethereal, believing that she had no knowledge of the "wrong side of life. Nothing like that entered her conscience." Perhaps some of this personality had to do with the Baker's lifestyle.

The Baker family often spent their summers between their historic home in Windham, Connecticut or in Europe. The family could afford this lifestyle because of inherited wealth. The family fortune originated from Anna's in-laws, the Taintors, who supplied American troops with clothing and provisions during the War of 1812. Anna's grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Rufus L. Baker, was a successful businessperson that wisely invested the family's finances and grew the family's fortune.

Anna was 19 when her friend, artist Ernestine Fabbri, brought her to an art class taught by a young Julian Alden Weir . Ernestine later described the scene as Anna entered the studio and settled into place as, "It was for him [Julian Alden Weir] a coup de foudre [love at first sight/a bolt out of the blue]." The evening after Anna first visited Julian Alden Weir's studio in the Benedick Building he called upon Anna and Ernestine and wanted to know everything about Anna. Ernestine later commented, "We were amused…and we knew at once that he had been hard hit." Following Anna's third lesson, it was raining and Julian volunteered to escort Anna home under his umbrella, this soon became the typical end to their evenings. Julian and Anna were engaged three weeks after their first meeting. Soon after their engagement, Anna would return to her family's home in Windham, CT. However, the couple would write each other on a daily basis. In May, Anna wrote, "I can imagine no place of its kind more fascinating than your studio of a moonlight night. Sometimes I shall ask you to take me there; and…we can hold converse sweet together." Julian immediately responded, "The Benedict [sic] is becoming empty now…I shall be the monarch of the building and when you come here again we will do as you suggest, if there is still a moon." Julian and Anna wrote almost daily to one another throughout that summer of 1882, and included thoughts about artistic aspirations and their future family life. The letters revealed a tender romantic side to Weir.

Anna Dwight Baker and Julian Alden Weir were married on Tuesday April 24th 1883 at the Church of the Ascension in New York. After the wedding, the newlyweds ventured to Branchville, Connecticut to see the farm Julian had purchased the previous year. During their honeymoon, the Weirs bought many of the furnishings now on view in the Weir House and Julian painted Anna on the Balcony of Duveneck's Studio. This painting signifies Anna's future importance, as a muse and ardent supporter, to her husband's professional development. After returning from their honeymoon, Anna and Julian built a life together. They would split their time between their quiet summers in Branchville and Windham, Connecticut and Julian's professional life in New York City. Anna and Julian had four children together, three of whom survived to adulthood. Caroline Alden Weir was born soon after the couple returned from their honeymoon in March of 1884. Their son Julian Alden Weir Jr. died in infancy. Dorothy Weir and Cora Weir were the youngest daughters, born in 1890 and 1892 respectively. In the last letter Anna would write to her sister Ella, Anna illustrates her dedication to Julian's profession and how committed Julian was to her family;" Julian has just finished an etching which he is very much pleased with, and says to tell you he is keeping one of the best impressions for you, as he thought you were too far away to send it to." Anna tragically died in 1892, just ten years after marrying Julian Alden Weir. Julian artistically preserved Anna's memory in his etching, Eternal Rest, and created a stained glass window for the Church of the Accession depicting Anna and Julian Jr. In their short time together, Julian made her the subject of hundreds of etchings, paintings, sketches and photographs. She is remembered today as one of Julian's staunchest supporters and his artistic inspiration. Anna is the subject of many of Julian's paintings that now hang in galleries across the country.

After Anna's tragic death in 1892, Julian asked Ella and her mother to help care for his daughters. The relationship between Ella and Julian blossomed via letters and were married a year later. Ella would serve as a subject for a number of paintings by Julian Alden Weir. She also managed the business side of Julian’s art career, working with galleries and art collectors to get appraisals as well as managing his bookkeeping. Ella died in 1930, having dedicated so much of her life to the well-being of her family. Dorothy Weir Young later noted of Ella: "Hers [Ellas] was an unselfish and generous nature, and she gave herself unstintingly to make a home for the children, under her charge, once more a home and a happy place to live in."

Ella Baker was born September 7th 1852, the eldest daughter of Charles Taintor Baker and Anna Bartlett Dwight Baker. Growing up in the Baker household, Ella and her family would occasionally spend summers in Europe. Ella relished these long European tours. She knew German, having studied the language in 1885 at Amherst. In 1886 –1887, Ella and her mother toured France, England, Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Russia, &Switzerland. Ella also took painting lessons and completed a number of watercolors during this European trip. In 1888 –1889, Ella and her mother visited Europe, North Africa, and Turkey. From 1891 to 1892, the Bakers took a worldwide tour. They traveled across the American continent, on the newly complete transcontinental railroad, and departed from Vancouver to visit Japan, China, India, Egypt, and Europe. During this time, Ella continued her German and painting lessons, but began to augment these skills with an interest in photography. Ella would continue her interest in photography for the rest of her life.

As Ella travelled, her sister Anna married the painter Julian Alden Weir. After her tragic death due to complications from childbirth in 1892, Julian asked Ella and her mother to care for his daughters. He wrote to the Baker family asking, "Will not you and Ella live here with me? There is so much more demand from these little ones than I can do and we will try to bring them up as Puss [Anna] would have them." Julian would leave his daughters in Windham in the care of his in-laws during the next few summers as he recuperated. He taught painting classes in Cos Cob and painted murals for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Ella kept track of his painting sales in 1893 and provided him with emotional stability during that trying year. The relationship between Ella and Julian would blossom via letters and the two would soon fall in love. Julian Alden Weir and Ella Baker Weir wed on October 28th 1893 in Boston. E. Winchester Donald, the same rector that married Julian and Anna, served as the rector in Julian and Ella's wedding. John Twachtman acted as best man.

Dorothy Weir Young later noted: "Hers [Ellas] was an unselfish and generous nature, and she gave herself unstintingly to make a home for the children, until the house that had at first been a dreary, desolate place to enter, with no lamps lit as the evening drew on and everything left at sixes and sevens, became, under her charge, once more a home and a happy place to live in. She loved the children, and they were devoted to her; and to Julian she gave the intimate companionship that he needed so badly. She had, besides, excellent taste and a real knowledge of art, for she was herself, an amateur painter of distinction." Ella continued her interest in photography after her marriage to Julian, a fascination that would continue throughout her life. She might have also played a part in the creation of the Secret Garden, although the architect of that endeavor is not known. Ella would serve as a subject for a number of paintings by Julian Alden Weir, including: In the Dooryard, Silhouette, Autumn Stroll and others.

After marrying Ella, the Weirs began to travel more. At first, they divided their summers between Branchville, in June and July, and Windham, where Ella's family lived, in August and September. Ella's mother would pass in 1900 leaving her daughters with an inheritance. Ella and Julian were able to travel and improve upon their Branchville home as Julian's paintings gained recognition through the 1890s and early 1900s. Ella and Julian traveled to Europe in 1900 and 1901, as builders renovated the house in Branchville. Beginning in 1902 and lasting until 1913, the Weirs traveled Nassau close to seven times to visit Ella's sister Cora Baker Davis Rutherford.

Julian Alden Weir died on December 8th 1919 in New York, in the newly rented apartment for Julian and Ella. Following her husband's death, Ella wrote Robert Macbeth, "He was so true to himself and hated deception in any form, that I feel he placed his stamp upon his Art as he did upon life. For Art and Life were for him one." Ella and her sister Cora would spend the summer of 1920 visiting family friends in West Point and stop in Windsor, Vermont to see Augusta Saint-Gaudens. There is little documented about the life of Ella Baker Weir and the Branchville property during the 1920s, however, records indicate that Ella and Dorothy continued to live at and manage the Branchville property during the summer. Ella died on December 27th 1930 having dedicated so much of her life to the well-being of her family from Julian to his three daughters and ensuring the Weir House would pass to Dorothy.

Often called the "American Monet," Childe Hassam's art was recognizably Impressionist-loose brush strokes, bright palettes, and scenes that conveyed the specific effects of weather and light. These scenes were both rural and urban, as he painted large cities like New York and Paris, working sea sides like Gloucester, MA and countryside all over Europe and Connecticut. Hassam was industrious as an artist, and could paint forty canvases a year to Julian Alden Weir's eight. Hassam outlived Weir by fifteen years, and continued painting. One of his fans was Dorothy Weir, who wrote: "The New England that he saw and translated so clearly and brilliantly was a region of whaling towns, of busy wharfs and streets, of colorful rocks swept by wide Atlantic waves, and white churches seen with a pagan's eye."

Childe Hassam is recognized today as the most successful, best patronized and most exhibited of all the American Impressionists. Hassam's art was recognizably Impressionist-loose brush strokes, bright palettes, and scenes that conveyed the specific effects of weather and light. These scenes were both rural and urban, as he painted large cities like New York and Paris, working sea sides like Gloucester, MA and countryside all over Europe and Connecticut. Hassam first met Julian Alden Weir through the American Watercolor Society, and the two became close friends as they both took up the cause of promoting the work of American Impressionists. Both were involved in the Society of American Artists, and subsequently, the two helped found the group the Ten American Painters. "Old Hassam is a wonder," wrote Weir. "How he can settle down anywhere and do fine things is beyond me." Hassam outlived Weir by fifteen years, and continued painting. One of his fans was Dorothy Weir , who wrote: "The New England that he saw and translated so clearly and brilliantly was a region of whaling towns, of busy wharfs and streets, of colorful rocks swept by wide Atlantic waves, and white churches seen with a pagan's eye." Hassam and his wife were "frequent and much loved visitors at Branchville," thanks to the friendship Hassam shared with Weir. The two artists "would spend long days painting out in the fields and long nights playing interminable games of dominoes." Although Hassam generally spent his summers at Cos Cob and Old Lyme, Connecticut and on the Isles of Shoals, off the New Hampshire coast, letters indicate that he did go to Branchville in the spring and fall. Ella Weir mentioned a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Childe Hassam as early as May 1894. At the end of September 1901, he offered to "come out and worry you for a while if… you are not full up." On a 1903 visit he sketched Weir's garden. In 1906 he spent "a couple of weeks" in Branchville; on a visit in the fall of 1909 he painted Late Afternoon , Weir's Farm ,and another visit the following year led to his painting Road to the Land of Nod , a whimsical name for the Weir property on Nod Hill Road. Even at the farm, Hassam lived up to his reputation as a prolific painter. On a Sunday in June 1912, Weir wrote, "like the birds, [Hassam] was early in the cherry tree." In all, Hassam made a number of oils, pastels, and watercolors, and at least one etching of a Branchville scene.

Albert Pinkham Ryder was an American painter who focused on New England themes, especially the ocean, but with the addition of magical or supernatural qualities. He often incorporated folklore into his works, and wrote his own poetry as well. He was not a strict "Impressionist," nor a plein-air painter, but rather, he painted scenes infused with symbolism and feeling. He did exhibit for several years with the National Academy of Design, and occasionally with the Society of American Artists, but he was otherwise not involved in professional art organizations. Even so, his uniqueness as an artist set him apart. As his 1917 obituary read in the New York Times, Ryder "was one of the most interesting artists America has ever produced. Every picture that he painted was the result of years of reflection and experiment, and represented not only a deeply romantic temper of mind but infinite zest for perfection of craftsmanship."

Albert Pinkham Ryder, Peter A. Juley & Son Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum J0002132.

Albert Pinkham Ryder was largely self-taught, and developed a singular style. He was not a strict "Impressionist," nor a plein-air painter, but rather, he painted scenes infused with symbolism and feeling. "What avails the storm cloud accurate in form and color, if the storm is not therein?" he wrote. His art was done all in oils, and the paint was then glazed over several times with cheap varnish, and as a result, many of his canvases today are in poor condition due to cracking. Ryder absorbed himself fully in his work, living and working for over twenty years in a dirty, disorderly attic room in New York City. He did exhibit for several years with the National Academy of Design, and occasionally with the Society of American Artists, but he was otherwise not involved in professional art organizations. As a result, Ryder was reclusive, and his true personality was not known to many people. Julian Alden Weir , however, was an exception, and considered Ryder, known to him as "Pinky," a friend. The two had known each other since they were both students in New York, and Ryder commented throughout the years on how he appreciated Weir's "kind interest and brotherly friendship." When Ryder was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1902, it was Weir that painted his portrait. While the Branchville farm frequently hosted Weir's artist friends, it was only Ryder, Dorothy Weir wrote, who "seems never to have relished the vigors of country life." He preferred the city to the country, which he made clear when he told Weir: "Catching mice is more my line than fishing." Ryder did visit the farm however, at least four times, and wrote favorably about the experience. "I have never seen the beauty of spring before; which is something to have lived and suffered for," he wrote in 1897. "The landscape and air are full of promise." He painted the farm during these times, spending three weeks immersed in one particular painting entitled Weir's Orchard. When Ryder did visit, Weir accommodated his anti-social tendencies by giving him a guest room with its own entrance to the house itself. That way Ryder could leave and enter the Weir house without having to face the family. Already, on one occasion, Ryder was described as "on the verge of nervous prostration because he had neglected to tip the Weirs' maids." Despite his reclusive behavior, Ryder found the farm an endearing place and continued to reference it in his correspondence with Weir. At the end of one letter in 1904, he wrote Weir a blessing, wishing for him "that your fish will thrive…your work will answer, your farms too, your haystacks grow, and rocks disappear, and everything be as you wish."

White-tailed Deer looking at Trail Camera NPS Trail Cameras In 2025 Weir Farm National Historical Park started a study with the other parks in the Northeast Region of the National Park Service that included observing wildlife with 16 trail cameras placed throughout the park. One key goal of the study was to understand the impact that deer have on a growing forest. The information gathered will be used in the future to develop a forest management plan and contribute to a better understanding of wildlife and natural resource management in the park. One exciting aspect of having trail cameras out for deer monitoring was that many different animals were also observed in the park! In addition to deer, the cameras also snapped shots of; Rabbits, Foxes, Coyotes, Bobcats, and even Owls!

Use the galleries below to see some of the interesting pictures our trail cameras picked up! What Animals are out during the night at Weir Farm? Even though Weir Farm National Historical Park is closed during the night, that does not mean everything goes to bed. The Connecticut Temperate forests are home to many different animals that utilize the night, known as nocturnal animals. Ever wondered what animals do during the nighttime at Weir Farm? Take a look at the photos from the trail cameras below, what animals will you see?

Trail Cameras In 2025 Weir Farm National Historical Park started a study with the other parks in the Northeast Region of the National Park Service that included observing wildlife with 16 trail cameras placed throughout the park. One key goal of the study was to understand the impact that deer have on a growing forest. The information gathered will be used in the future to develop a forest management plan and contribute to a better understanding of wildlife and natural resource management in the park. One exciting aspect of having trail cameras out for deer monitoring was that many different animals were also observed in the park! In addition to deer, the cameras also snapped shots of; Rabbits, Foxes, Coyotes, Bobcats, and even Owls! Use the galleries below to see some of the interesting pictures our trail cameras picked up!

Use the slider to compare the causeway during the wintertime and the summertime. What do you see?