Art Stories

John and Susan Hainsworth’s collection features standout American portraits, landscapes and more that are rich with history and provenance

By John O’Hern Photography by Francis Smith

When I first saw John and Susan Hainsworth’s collection I recognized an old friend. I remembered William McGregor Paxton’s The Golden Veil from a 2015 exhibition at Vose Galleries in Boston. I had stood in front of her uncharacteristically dumbstruck by the beauty of the painting.Along the staircase, beginning at left are Harbor at Sitka, Alaska, circa 1915, oil on canvas, by Augustus Dunbier (1888-1977); Old Lyme Landscape, oil on canvas, by Wilson Irvine (1869-1936); and Irvine’s Moonlight on the Lake, oil on canvas. Above the mantle is Stream in Winter, 1928, oil on canvas, by Carl Peters (1897-1980). On a shelf to the right of the mantle is Snowy School Day, Gaylorsville, CT, circa 1910, oil on board, by F. Luis Mora (1874-1940). Hume Fogg High School, Nashville, TN, 1914, oil on board, by Ella Sophonisba Hergeshimer (1873-1943), is on the picture stand.

The Hainsworths discovered her the following year at an auction. “We often buy online,” John explains, “but we went to this auction. We didn’t have a lot of available money at the time and probably weren’t going to buy anything. We were sitting there, and the Paxton came up. The auctioneer asked for a bid. When there wasn’t one, he went down a bit, so I bid.” What followed was what Susan recalls as “the longest moment of our lives.” “Someone else bid,” John continues, “and I was going to stop. Susan is usually hesitant, but she urged me to make one more bid.” And the painting was theirs.Above the mantle is Girl in a Garden, 1926, oil on canvas, by Edouard Vysekal (1890-1939). Over the sideboard is Along the Pacific Coast, 1922, oil on canvas, by Jack Wilkinson Smith (1873-1949). On the far wall is The Raft, 1895, oil on canvas, by Adam Emory Albright (1862-1957). Visible through the doorway is At the Millinery Shoppe, Paris, 1912, oil on canvas, by George Lawlor (1878-1932).

On the left is Lamplight, Study in Black, Red, and Gold, 1893, oil on canvas, by Frank Benson (1862-1951). Next to it is New York Winter Scene, circa 1920, oil on board, by Colin Campbell Cooper (1856-1937). Leaning against the wall is Nude by the Stream, circa 1920, oil on canvas, by Lillian Genth (1876-1953). On the near wall is Girl Playing the Harpsichord, 1899, oil on canvas by Mary Louise Fairchild (1858-1946).

Neither of their parents were collectors, although John had the boyhood coin and stamp collections. “When we met,” John says, “Susan knew more about art and, by then, I enjoyed going to see it. The first things we bought were original prints which were within our budget. We began going to Albuquerque and Santa Fe every summer and bought work by the contemporary artists we saw there.”Hanging behind the piano is Anna at the Piano, circa 1890, oil on canvas, by Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919).

The portrait on the left is Elinor Getz, 1925, oil on canvas, by Robert Henri (1865-1929). Over the mantle is The Waterfall at Shore Mill, TN, oil on canvas, by Ernest Lawson (1873-1939). On the right is Study, Woman in Black and Green, circa 1900, oil on canvas, by John White Alexander (1856-1915). The nude figure is The Golden Veil, circa 1920s, oil on canvas, by William McGregor Paxton (1869-1941).

Valley of the Ticino, 1863, oil on canvas, by Russell Smith (1812-1896) is on the left. On the adjoining wall are, from left, Regatta Day, Seville, circa 1860, oil on canvas, by Samuel Colman (1832-1920) and Moonlight Sonata, circa 1890s, oil on canvas, by Edward Moran (1829-1901).

When they saw the historical work from members of Taos Society of Artists, they began thinking about a more focused area to collect in. “I knew more about European art and wasn’t aware of the incredible American art of the early 20th century,” Susan explains. “John does a deep dive. He’s an avid reader and we’ve put together a large library of books.”

“It’s interesting reading about the artists and their ties to American history,” John says. “You learn about the artists you want to have. Starting out we had help from a couple of gallery owners who directed us and found things they knew we would like. For the last 10 years, we’ve bought the majority of pieces at auctions.”

Susan adds, “We make it our business to go to every possible museum when we’re on trips. We see examples of artists’ work and know what to expect. We have the same sort of inclinations, although John can get more carried away than I. Our Thomas Hart Benton, Lord, Heal the Child, was a Christmas present from John.” John adds, “We both like Benton and a big one is out of our budget range. This is a study for a larger painting and there’s no doubt who painted it.”Above the sideboard is Young Woman in Profile (probably the artist’s wife), circa 1880s, oil on canvas, by Eastman Johnson (1824-1906). Beneath it is Girl Dancing, modeled 1897, cast 1906, bronze, by Bessie Vonnoh (1872-1955).

Lord, Heal the Child, circa 1934, oil on board, by Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), hangs next to a bronze, Hector and Patroclus, 2002, by Alton Falcone.

The collectors aren’t timid about buying paintings that need conservation. “The Henri needed conservation,” John explains. “It had been badly restored previously so we took it to Simon Parkes in New York. Elinor Getz was a commissioned portrait of the daughter of a wealthy Beverly Hills family. She was 12 when he painted it. Her family home later became the set for movies including The Godfather.”

They were attracted to a large painting of a mountain scene that had been held by an educational institution. “When we got it,” John says, “there was no signature and a plaque that said it was a Colorado scene by an unknown artist. The painting had been lined. We had it taken off and cleaned up and on the back was the artist’s name and the title of a scene in Switzerland. It was common for American artists at the time to do the Grand Tour of Europe and to paint European scenes. Later, American scenes became more important.” Russell Smith’s Valley of the Ticino, now hangs in their home in its original frame.Above the chest is La Seine, Paris, circa 1890, oil on canvas, by Frank Boggs (1855-1926). On the chest is Spanish Gypsy Girl, modeled 1921, bronze, by Elsie Palmer Payne (1884-1971).

On the left is The Communicants, oil on canvas, by Gari Melchers (1860-1932). On the table is The Breeze, circa 1890s, oil on canvas, by John Henry Twachtman (1853-1902). On the far wall from left are two oil on canvas paintings by F. Luis Mora (1874-1940): Two Fishermen and his 1910 work In the Orchard. On the right is Laguna Coast, oil on canvas, by Edgar Payne (1883-1947).

When John wanted a wine cellar, they decided to expand the project into redesigning the entire basement to accommodate their growing collection. Susan isn’t a fan of hanging paintings in the Salon style covering the whole wall. “I want them all to get their due,” she comments.

They often loan works to museum exhibitions, like the F. Luis Mora and the Expression of Beauty exhibition at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, Connecticut. The prestigious Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, has shown part of their collection. Susan recalls that when the art movers drove away “it was as if the soul was ripped out of our home. All that was left was just stuff. We missed them. They’re like old friends. We never get tired of them.”John and Susan Hainsworth sit in front of Rocky Coast, circa 1930s, oil on canvas, by Helen Hamilton (1889-1970).

The “stuff” of the Hainsworth’s home is a wonderfully eclectic collection of furniture. The house was built in 1926, and they have lived there for 30 years. “When we were first married,” John says, “we went to auctions, antique shops and second-hand places. We’d find something we like, bring it home and clean it up.”

There are a few things stored in closets, but the couple continue to collect. “It’s something we can do together,” John comments. “We just bought a small Bierstadt. We can’t help ourselves.” —