Portrait of Clara Watrous Stewart
n.d.
40 in. x 30 in. (1016 mm. x 762 mm.)
Ivan Olinsky,
(January 1, 1878–February 11, 1962)
Medium and Support:
oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Florence Griswold Museum; Gift of Rhea Talley Stewart
Accession Number:
1992.7
A 3/4 portrait of Clara Watrous Stewart seated in a draped, upholstered chair. She is wearing a purple shawl and, in her left hand, holds the end of a string which she is wearing as a necklace. A vase of flowers is at her right. Olinsky was much in demand as a portrait painter utilizing a realistic but not photographic style. He came to Old Lyme in the summer of 1917, and became a permanent resident after puchasing a house in 1919.
She was the daughter of Marion Watrous of East Haddam, who was the town clerk. The family lived in a large house along the Connecticut River. Clara studied music in New York City where she met and married Arthur Stewart, who was the manager of the Champion House in East Haddam - a chic weekend spot for New Yorkers. The Stewarts owned waterfront property in Westbrook, Connecticut and were active in local charities which sponsored summer vacations for inner-city children. She died in 1955.