Museum Collections

Massachusetts’ North Shore has a long history: the area was inhabited by the Pawtucket Native Americans for perhaps as much as 10,000 years, and was settled by Europeans in 1629.  From its time as a European farming community in the 17th century to a major manufacturing city in the 19th and 20th centuries, and now as a largely suburban center, the lifestyles and the population have been remarkably diverse. The Lynn Museum artifact collection reflects that diversity and includes more than 17,000 objects that date from its earliest settlers to the present day.

Art

Lynn’s beautiful shoreline and marshes have drawn artists here for centuries, as has Lynn Woods. The Lynn Museum is fortunate to have collected many examples of these artists’ works, especially art created by members of the American Impressionist group now known as The Lynn Beach Painters. Other works include portraits of prominent North Shore residents, incredible examples of the 17th-19th century girls’ art of samplers, a remarkable collection of naïve and folk art made by self-taught and itinerant artists, and contemporary art made by artists working in the area today.

Tools

As a major industrial center during the 19th and 20th centuries, Lynn was the premiere location to find high-end ladies’ shoes, and our collection includes numerous examples of shoe-making equipment, from the smallest finishing tools to the largest lasting machines. Lynn was also home to several major manufacturers of electric machines, including elevators and “modern” medical electrical devices designed to give mild electric shocks for at-home medical care.

Decorative Arts

During the manufacturing heyday, many North Shore residents were quite wealthy and their households included the finest furnishings available from around the world.  The Lynn Museum collection has some of the finest examples of these pieces, including banjo clocks and tall clocks by Simon Willard, Elnathan Taber and others; Sheraton-style mirrors; sumptuous Federal and Victorian furniture; fine silver services; and more.

Textiles

The manufacturing centers of Massachusetts were especially well-known for their fine cloth.  Raw materials, such as cotton grown in the American South or silk imported from the Far East, were woven into beautiful fabrics to be used for table linens, wall coverings, and especially clothing. The Lynn Museum collection has literally thousands of examples of dresses, hats, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories from throughout the past 250 years.