New London COUNTY · Museums and education
Slater Memorial: Art, Education, and Norwich Free Academy
Historic photographs lead from the Slater Memorial’s brick exterior and carved entrance to its great galleried exhibition room.
Historical focus · 1856–1961
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The story in photographs
June 1958
Main gallery
Main gallery — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Cervin Robinson; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1958
West (front) elevation
West (front) elevation — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Cervin Robinson; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsMarch 1961
Main entrance porch on the southwest corner
Main entrance porch on the southwest corner — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Photographer not identified in the individual Library of Congress caption; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsMarch 1961
Iron gate in southwest entrance porch
Iron gate in southwest entrance porch — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Photographer not identified in the individual Library of Congress caption; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsMarch 1961
Interior of main door at the southwest corner of building
Interior of main door at the southwest corner of building — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Photographer not identified in the individual Library of Congress caption; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1958
Main stairway and entrance hall
Main stairway and entrance hall — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Cervin Robinson; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsMarch 1961
Interior of typical small window with round head and interior shutters
Interior of typical small window with round head and interior shutters — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Photographer not identified in the individual Library of Congress caption; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1958
MAIN GALLERY View #1
MAIN GALLERY View #1 — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Cervin Robinson; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsMarch 1961
Main gallery
Main gallery — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Photographer not identified in the individual Library of Congress caption; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsMarch 1961
Fireplace wall in north lecture room
Fireplace wall in north lecture room — John Fox Slater Memorial Museum, 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Photographer not identified in the individual Library of Congress caption; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsTHE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPHS
People, places, and change.
A growing educational campus
Norwich Free Academy dedicated its first school building in 1856. The Slater Memorial became a major addition to the campus three decades later. William Albert Slater, a member of the academy’s class of 1875, provided the building, which was dedicated in November 1886. Architect Stephen C. Earle of Worcester designed it. The project connected local philanthropy with education through an unusually elaborate setting for museum and school activities. Its place on the academy campus is central to understanding the building: the museum was part of an educational institution rather than an isolated civic monument. [3] [2]
An architecture of distinctive materials
The historical survey records brick walls with Portland brownstone trim and a Monson granite foundation. A tall corner tower, broad entrance arches, gables, and a hipped roof give the exterior its strong profile. Inside, the main exhibition room rises to a gallery on four sides beneath exposed roof framing. The photographs include ironwork, entrances, interior finishes, and the spacious central hall. These views allow close study of how different materials and forms work together, from the large tower visible across the campus to the more intimate surfaces encountered at the doorway. [2] [1]
Casts and artistic instruction
The museum opened in November 1888, two years after the building’s dedication. Its founding collection included 227 casts and medallions selected with the involvement of Edward Robinson of Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. William Slater and academy head Robert Porter Keep helped develop the project. Casts made sculptural forms available for study far from the original works. An art school began in the museum in 1890 and later received its own building. These dates distinguish the construction of the memorial, the opening of the collection, and the development of formal artistic teaching. [4] [3]
Looking inside the mid-century museum
The HABS images preserve the building in 1958 and 1961. Individual captions identify Cervin Robinson on the credited 1958 photographs, while several 1961 captions leave the photographer unspecified. The views carry the visitor from exterior elevations and entrance details into the exhibition spaces. They are photographs of a museum and its displays, so any sculpture visible within them should be understood as an object represented in the photograph. The collection records the relationship between architecture, collections, and teaching in mid-century Norwich, rather than claiming to describe the museum’s current displays or visitor arrangements. [1]
Keep the sources close.
Download this collection’s notes, timeline and image credits. Photographs link to their original archives and require an internet connection.
Building dates and photograph dates are recorded separately. Later photographs are identified in their captions; unknown exposure dates remain unknown. Follow each image’s credit and reuse terms.