Gilded Icons: Forgotten Treasures in the Samuel L. Parrish Collection

Liana Mizzi
Oct 19, 2023
3 min read

Updated: Jun 6

To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Parrish Art Museum, the Southampton History Museum exhibited some forgotten treasures from the Samuel L. Parrish collection, now owned by the Village of Southampton.

Samuel L. Parrish (1849–1932) was a prosperous New York City-based attorney who summered in Southampton. He was born into a wealthy Quaker family in Philadelphia and attended Harvard, where he developed an interest in Italian art. After graduating, Parrish went to Italy for a year studying Classical and Renaissance art. In 1877, he opened a very successful law practice in New York. He visited friends and family in Southampton during the summer season and traveled to Italy regularly. While there, he decided to open an art museum in Southampton. To furnish his new museum, he acquired Classical and Renaissance art in Europe, including authentic pieces and expertly made reproductions from originals. He soon retired and purchased the Rogers Mansion, then on Main Street in Southampton, as his summer home. Parrish hired the influential American architect Grosvenor Atterbury to design a museum on Jobs Lane as a showcase for his newly acquired collection. The building opened in 1898, over 125 years ago!

A committed philanthropist, Parrish's local legacy is expansive. He donated land and money to help establish the Southampton Hospital, funded the first paving of Southampton’s Main Street, and supported the creation of the Rogers Memorial Library. Parrish was also an important patron of the Shinnecock Summer School of Art, led by American Impressionist William Merritt Chase. In 1932, Parrish died suddenly at the age of 82, after being hit by a car near his residence in New York City. He left his collection and bespoke museum building to the Parrish Art Museum. However, the affects of the Great Depression, soon took a toll on the organization. In 1941, Parrish's estate was still being settled, and his widow requested the museum repay a series of loans. Unable to do so, the museum's trustees petitioned the Village of Southampton to accept the museum as a gift, which they did.

In 1952, Rebecca Littlejohn, a civic-minded resident, became president of the Parrish Art Museum board. She began the overwhelming task of reviving the museum by painting it white. Littlejohn decided the collection was out of step with modern art movements and began to show American artists who lived and worked on the South Fork.

Over the years, most of the art from Mr. Parrish's collection was sold, damaged, or lost.

In 2012, the Parrish Art Museum moved to a new building in Water Mill, while its former building on Jobs Lane became home to the Southampton Arts Center, which showcases contemporary artists and performers. Meanwhile, Mr. Parrish's collection of Classical and Renaissance works, out of vogue with contemporary art tastes, languished in storage.

As the 125th anniversary of Mr. Parrish's museum approached, the Southampton History Museum visited his collection in storage, rediscovering artwork unseen by the public for many decades. A selection of pieces was brought to the Rogers Mansion, his former home, for a special exhibition. We hope Samuel L. Parrish would approve.