A fellow by the name of Samuel Clemens and his wife Olivia had this exquisite Stick Victorian / Eastlake style home built in the beautiful town of Hartford, Connecticut.
Known more widely by his author name, Mark Twain (you may have heard of him), Clemens had the home built for his family in 1873.
The Mark Twain House has been impeccably restored over the decades and has operated as a museum since 1974.
Come have a look inside this distinguished house.
The stunning details begin with the front door.
The home measures in at a whopping 11,500 square feet and has a total of 25 rooms over three stories.
The original cost to have the house built back in 1874 was $45,000.
By 1881, Mark Twain was a well-selling author so the couple invested more money into decorating their home. They hired Louis C. Tiffany & Co.‚ Associated Artists to redecorate the walls and ceilings of the public spaces in their home in the exotic Aesthetic style.
Elaborate and richly beautiful, the interior of the home is still furnished with all period pieces.
The grand jewel of the home is the stunning Victorian atrium.
Twain’s wife and children were photographed here in the 1880’s…
What a sweet image!
The décor may seem a bit heavy for our modern sensibilities but that’s what the Aesthetic movement was all about: layer upon layer of rich pattern, color, and elaborate texture. Artistic and grand – like a fanning peacock!
But the simplest room in the house, by far, was the one not seen by the public: the kitchen.
How wonderful to see a fully preserved Victorian era kitchen!
Look at the stick-style elements in the stairwell:
Let’s take a look in some of the bedrooms…
The home also has a music room:
Below is Mark Twain’s/Samuel Clemens’ study:
He wrote many of his best-known works while living here, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Tramp Abroad, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.
Below is an old photo of the master writer striking an authorly pose in his beloved home.
Sadly, the Clemens family had some financial issues and had to move to Europe in 1891 so Twain could make money on the lecture circuit. After one of the children’s tragic deaths in 1896, it was too difficult for the family to ever return to their Hartford home due to all the memories. They subsequently sold the property in 1903.
The building was later used as a school, an apartment building, and a public library branch. In 1929, it was rescued from possible demolition and put under the care of the newly formed non-profit group Mark Twain Memorial. The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962 and underwent an extensive renovation. It opened as an old house museum in 1974.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain_House
www.priceypads.com/1873-mark-twain-house-in-hartford-connecticut-photos/
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