Mark Twain House & Museum
Hartford · USA
The Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut, is the exuberant High Victorian Gothic mansion where Samuel Langhorne Clemens lived from 1874 to 1891, the period during which he produced some of his most celebrated work: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper were all written here. Twain designed much of the interior himself in collaboration with the decorator Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The house is particularly notable for its architectural bravado — its asymmetrical silhouette, polychrome brickwork, and elaborately decorated interiors — and for the intimacy of the family spaces. The influence of Twain's personality, energetic and theatrical, is felt in every room. The adjacent museum provides extensive context for his life and work.
Visiting the Mark Twain House is a lively and engaging experience. The guided tours bring the house and its former occupant to life with considerable skill. Allow two hours for the house and museum combined.
Reviews
An extraordinary house. The interiors — designed partly by Tiffany — are unlike anything else in New England. The guides are superb and the connection to Twain's writing is made very vivid. Don't miss it.
Came with my family and everyone was captivated. The architecture is spectacular and the tours are pitched just right. Twain's personality comes through in every detail.
A wonderful visit. The house itself is remarkable and the museum next door provides excellent context. Very well run. I'd recommend going early before the school groups arrive.
An extraordinary house. The interiors — designed partly by Tiffany — are unlike anything else in New England. The guides are superb and the connection to Twain's writing is made very vivid. Don't miss it.
