RWM - Blog: Mattatuck Museum

On 4/14/07 I took a trip (with my grandmother) to visit the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT. This museum fit nicely into the center of town and was surrounded by many little shops. Compared to my last two trips in New Haven, parking at the Mattatuck was a dream. There is a parking lot right behind the museum for museum visitors. When entering the museum there were a few hallways that you had to pass by before reaching the main desk. My grandma and I were by greeted by the museum attendant. The museum coordinator was very helpful. He explained there was a 10,000 button museum display on the third floor which I was interested in seeing. Also, the first floor of the museum was an artistic industrial tribute to the city of Waterbury and the surrounding cities in the Naugatuck Valley. I found this museum to very small but that it held a great history. I found the first floor to be the most interesting. This floor itself was a dedication to the industrial life between the years of 1650-1950. Walking around this section of the museum with my grandmother was great. She was able to recall a number of items from the exhibits from her past. I found that the lighting made it very difficult to take pictures but I gave it my best.

The first floor was filled with a number of photographs, pieces of mechanical machinery and furniture that observed the history of Waterbury and the surrounding cities of Connecticut.

Workers from the Tuttle Company taken in 1880.

I found this photo of the Tuttle Workers interesting because it reminded me of stories I heard from my great uncles (Uncle Jack and Uncle Sam below. Taken the day of my museum visit.) during the time they themselves worked in factories. They were factory workers shortly after returning from their period in the army after the Korean War.

These two photos are of houses in heavily populated residential environments. The pictures were taken sometime in the 1960s or 1970s and reminded me of what it was like growing up in the inner city. There is nothing like growing up in the city life. It something that I would never take back. This photograph is great because it shows how life was and how it hasn't changed much in the area (you'll see later).

I loved this photo. A concept of a Micky Mouse clock.

This picture is of what appears to be children's recreational toys from the early 1900s. There is a baseball bat, balls, a sled, roller and ice skates.

Growing up in an Italian family, I have heard some tremendous stories from my family members of Rome, Venice and Florence. I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to travel to Italy yet, but when I do get the chance I am taking it! This painting by John Ferguson Weir was stunning. It showed a sunset filled evening overlooking the grand canal in Venice. This lighting and shading he did in this painting couldn't have been anything less than perfect. I thought that this piece was incredibly well done and took a great amount of talent. When looking at the history of Mr. Weir, I found that he was the first director of the Yale Art School in New Haven, Connecticut and that he designed the Bennet Memorial Fountain in the center of New Haven Green (New Haven History Walk).

Some of the paintings below reminded me of what it was like to grow up in New England.

Snow...

More snow.

Button shots (3rd floor)

This photo is a of a nearby apartment that is visible from the museum parking lot. I saw this after the trip when my Grandmother and I were walking back to the car. I found it very similar to the photograph above of the woman hanging out clothes. It shows that things in history can sometimes stay similar. Which isn't a bad thing at all. :D

While leaving the museum my grandmother and I thanked the attendant and walked down the hall. A second later I saw a smile on my grandma's face as she pointed out of a nearby window at this!
I'm not quite sure what it is. Dinosaur? Man? It was an interesting figure.

I liked this museum. I found it to be quite small, but it had its historic pieces and paid a great tribute to the community and the community's respective artists.

I think this Friday I am going to rearrange the schedule again and go to the Wadsworth Atheneum. I am holding off on my NYC trip until it gets a little warmer. Hopefully next weekend will be really nice. We'll see.