Clark Voorhees
An American Impressionist whose serene, tonal landscapes helped define the artistic spirit of the Old Lyme colony in Connecticut.
1871–1933 (age 62)·American painter·Birthday: May 29·The Gilded Age
Biography
Clark Voorhees painted the quiet, luminous soul of the New England landscape. Born in New York City, he initially pursued chemistry at Yale before his passion for art led him to study in Paris and at the Art Students League. He found his true subject and community in Old Lyme, Connecticut, becoming a foundational member of the artist colony there alongside figures like Childe Hassam. While influenced by French Impressionism, Voorhees developed a distinctive Tonalist style, favoring muted, harmonious palettes and soft, diffused light that evoked mood and memory over sharp detail. His paintings of wooded streams, pastoral fields, and coastal scenes captured a timeless, poetic America. Though less flashy than some peers, his work was integral in establishing Old Lyme as a central hub for American landscape painting.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Clark was born in 1871, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1871
Clark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1871Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1876Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1884Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1887Could drive
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Could vote
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Turned 21
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 30
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 40
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 50
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 60
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1933Died at 62
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
Key Achievements
- Was a founding member of the Old Lyme Art Colony, a leading center of American Impressionism.
- Developed a respected Tonalist style within the Impressionist movement, known for its subdued, atmospheric quality.
- His work is held in major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Did You Know?
He initially earned a degree in chemistry from Yale University in 1893.
He was a skilled musician and often played violin for fellow artists at the Old Lyme colony.
Many of his paintings depict specific sites around Old Lyme and the nearby Lieutenant River.
“I paint the light as it truly falls on the hills and harbors of this place.”
