The Dutch Door depicts a welcoming and summery location Hassam knew well: the Holley House in the Cos Cob neighborhood of Greenwich, Connecticut. The Holley House – now the National Historic Landmark known as the Bush-Holley House – was a boarding house that overlooked Cos Cob’s small harbor and hosted a variety of artists, art students, writers, journalists, and other cultural luminaries who frequented the area around the turn of the 20th century. As such, the house became a notable center for artistic and cultural gatherings in the area.
Soon after his first visit to the area around 1894, Hassam became involved with the Cos Cob Art Colony, the first art colony in the state of Connecticut. The group of artists, many of them American Impressionists like Hassam, began as frequent visitors to Cos Cob during the summer months. These artists had become attracted to the coastal village’s vernacular New England architecture, the bohemian culture of the Holley House and its visitors, and easy proximity to New York’s Grand Central Station – all while maintaining a rural charm. Many of members of the Cos Cob Art Colony found inspiration in the Holley House itself, with an aestheticized atmosphere that merged Japanese-inspired elegance with old New England furnishings and architecture. Standing barefoot within the airy Holley House scene of The Dutch Door is Helen Burke, the daughter of local saloon owner with whom Hassam was well acquainted. With her hair pulled back, Helen lets in the summer breeze, the lush foliage surrounding the beloved gathering place rendered with the small, quick strokes beloved by the Impressionists.
