The Courtyard Garden
Site 1
“Shadow of the Tree,” an early painting by Mildred Bunting Miller, is a telescoped view of the Washington Building, which housed the Men’s Dormitory and the Dining Room of the Country School. Adjacent to it is the Courtyard with the popular Fountain. This dream-like study of the play of the shadows of the old sycamore (or buttonwood) tree on the sunlit building is striking for its unusual combination of pastel colors. Mildred Miller taught watercolor at the Country School from 1928 to 1933 and assisted her husband, D. Roy Miller, with the management of the school from 1916 to 1934. The painting appeared in the Annual Exhibition of the Academy in 1920.
The Courtyard was a “very functional, informal space; a good location for ‘crit classes, remembers former student and instructor, Roswell Weidner. In 1927, Roy Nuse instituted a weekly “concourse” to be held at twilight around the fountain. Each student could bring work that he or she wished to have criticized. During the Life Classes, the Courtyard was often enclosed with bamboo curtains to hide the nude models from prying eyes.
Fun Fact: The sycamore tree behind the building has been estimated at over 300 years old, and is the oldest known tree on the property.
Return to the portico (covered walkway), and walk on to the first door of the Inn.
