Dawson Dawson-Watson (1864-1939)
Early Morning on the Farmington, c. 1894
Oil on canvas, 22 x 18”
Signed and inscribed lower left

This oddly-named Englishman came to Hartford in 1893, fresh from Giverny and its aura of Claude Monet, and set to work introducing the city to Impressionism. He taught its theories at the leading art school, gave lectures, and exhibited examples that he painted in or near Farmington.

Hartford was generally bewildered, even shocked, by his work, but local artists were hooked. It took time for the public to understand that Impressionist artists were not sloppy painters but that the subtle designs they were creating out of light, color, and form were invitations to share their sense of place.