The Wadsworth Atheneum new exhibition, “Sport and Leisure: Sailing on the Sound,” is a curation of visual objects from the museum’s maritime collection. Viewers are transported back to the mid-nineteenth century and the blossoming of leisure activities for urban Americans who “sought rest and relaxation on our lakes, rivers, and seacoast,” Sailing and boating evolved from a mode of transportation into a sport and recreational activity. As a researcher for my book centered on Elizabeth Colt and her role as an art patron in Hartford, a gem from her bequeathed collection is included in the exhibition; notably a painting of her son Caldwell Hart Colt.
Caldwell was Elizabeth’s only surviving child into adulthood. The sole heir who attended Yale University had plans to follow in his father’s footsteps, the gun manufacturer, Sam Colt. Sadly, he did not pursue his gift with much fervor. Instead, he became what author William Hosley called, ” a stereotypical icon of foppish indulgence whose fame was earned by his courage and audacity as a celebrated yachtsman.” He indulged himself in a lavish lifestyle that involved sailing, yacht clubs, drinking, gambling, and partying.
Image Credit: Wadsworth Atheneum
In January 1894, he died mysteriously at sea at the age of 36. Some sources say he drowned and there are claims he may have been struck by tonsillitis or shot by a jealous husband. For Elizabeth, a widow and mother mired in the grief of losing four other children, once again, buried the last remaining heir to the Colt legacy. In his memory, she constructed with the same architect who designed the memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, the Caldwell Hart Colt Parish House, reflecting his love of sailing and the sea through nautical motifs. The exhibition offers us a glimpse of the man in the oil on canvas work by portrait painter Charles Noel Flagg, two years before his death. Caldwell stands somewhat stoic, lips pressed beneath a handlebar mustache, wears a dark pea-jacket and nautical cap, the tops of his pale-skin hands lay docile in the pockets. His choice of apparel a “uniform” for his love of sailing and the open waters.