American Furniture, Folk and Decorative Arts

Note

The brand in the top drawer belonged to Dr. Gurdon Wadsworth Russell (1815-1909), of Hartford, Connecticut. He descended from an early line of Connecticut settlers, William Wadsworth (an original settler of Hartford) and William Russell (an original settler of New Haven) being the most notable direct ancestors. With such a prominent family tree, G.W. Russell explored his geneaology, serving as a member of the Connecticut Historical Society and writing his own volumes on lineage. He was a graduate of Trinity College (then Washington College, class of 1834) and later earned his medical degree at Yale University in 1837. Russell married Sarah Elizabeth (Tuttle) Russell (1816-1871) in 1838. In his professional life, he served as the medical director of Aetna Insurance Company for about 60 years, and served as president of various institutions including the Retreat for the Insane, Hartford Hospital, and the State Medical Society. In his personal life, he was a devout member of Christ Church, and was a philanthropist to Trinity College, donating his collection of rare and important monographs on natural history to their library. Beyond these many accomplishments, Russell is famed for surviving the Norwalk Railroad accident in 1853, even attempting to save and treat victims after the incident.